Dancer's Feet
by beepunny
Summary: "This is your problem, Kira!" He exclaimed. "You need to accept the fact that I'm not your 'old Okita', and if you can't learn to love me for me, then this won't work." Kira's heart sunk at his words, which rung true in every octave. She fought the tears threatening to spill. "You can't relive your past; you need to move on. That's the only way you're going to get through life."
1. Warm Up

**After some mental debating, I decided I'll do a sequel for 'Dance of Swords'! I literally re-read the reviews for 'Dance of Swords' to no end to kick myself to do it for you guys! **

**For those of you who are new to me, please read the first one. For some reason, I can't put up a link on here...go check it out on my main page!** **(I have to warn you, some of the chapters aren't updated, so please just truck on through some lousy writing xD)**

**Annnnd for those of you who just wanna go ahead and read this one, hope you won't get confused! I mean, the only things that flowed from one story to another is Kira's memories, so I think you guys are good! **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy 'Dancer's Feet'!**

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CHAPTER 1

Warm Up

Sliding into her car, Kira cut off the obnoxious ringing as she slammed the door behind her. Taking a good look of herself in her rear-view mirror, she switched on the engine and drove off to school with cheery music to rid the tiredness still lingering in her body.

Ever since she 'woke up' from her accident a month ago, the girl had never been the same. Quitting dance suddenly and losing interest in classes were enough to make heads turn. But...shortly after, she met someone. It was like that light was reignited in her eyes, and she was ready to take on the world, and by world, she meant school.

Okita Souji was proclaimed as a new student from Japan. Though he lived in America before, he moved back to Japan and suddenly came back here. She thought she lost him forever in the eternal abyss of history, but somehow he was brought to her, as if it were a sign that said 'Go For It' in big, bold letters. Not that she was complaining.

As she pulled into the parking lot, she slipped out of her car and was greeted by a chilly November breeze. Shutting the door behind her, she caught her possessed hair and managed to put it into a messy bun as she strolled through the parking lot of the school.

A blast of warm, summer-like, air enveloped her as she filed into one of the halls. Heading up a flight of stairs, she reached her locker without being trampled by the sophomores, who came in herds every ten minutes.

Tossing most of her stuff in her locker, she readjusted the strap of her backpack and headed towards the school's café. Weaving her way through the crowds of freshmen and juniors, she found Bryn and Casy squeezed close to each other on the bench to accommodate their other friends, who swarmed themselves around the table.

"Hey guys," Kira said over all the chattering, sliding her way into the booth and sandwiched Casy with Bryn on the other side.

"Kira," one of the guys at the table drawled out her name sweetly, fluttering his eyelashes at her stupidly, he asked, "did you finish the paper for English?"

"Yes," she replied in the same overly-sweet tone, flipping her hair over her shoulder, "but I'm not gonna give it to you."

His smile turned into a frown as he leaned back in his chair, "Jerk. You are an _amazing_ person, ya know?"

Kira arched a brow and nodded with a smile.

"I look out for you," he put his hands on his chest, radiating false sincerity, "I really do, and this is how you repay me?"

"You still owe me a cookie," she snickered. It was a miracle to say the least. Within one week after she woke from her accident, her personality was switched back on with a bit more of a bite to it. She got back into dancing, but she was behind. However, Casy and Bryn had no complaints as Kira stepped back into their little circle, and things managed to transition back into place with a couple new upgrades as well.

"And he owes you a smoothie," Bryn chimed in, receiving a scowl from said boy.

The next ten minutes went by as everyone had _something_ to talk about, from who pranked the girls' locker room in the pool, to how _horrible_ a certain teacher was. The bell blasted through the speakers that spread across the café and slowly, everyone got to their feet, exchanging goodbye's and promises to see each other at lunch or different classes.

"See you at lunch!" Bryn exclaimed as she darted off to the stairs before the herds of students swarmed the stairwell.

Kira and Casy waved back and started to head to their designated hallways, with Casy's being on the opposite side of Kira's. The two exchanged their goodbye's with Casy adding, "Have fun English," with a sing-song tone to it.

Playfully scowling, she headed down her hall and waved a hand behind her, "Yeah, yeah!" Upon arriving in said class, she took her seat as the warning bell went off. Taking out her binder from the abyss known as her bag, she looked up at the harsh rasp of metal along waxed tiles. Smiling at the all-too familiar face, she set her binder on the table.

"Hey, Kira," Okita greeted as he plopped down next to her.

Turned out, he had three classes with her, and his house wasn't far from hers. Every time she would see him, it felt like it was a dream and she would wake up one day. It seemed unreal due to the fact that a guy from the past turned into a guy in her time. Though he didn't have the same memories, he looked and spoke exactly like him.

She couldn't believe all of this happened because of a _guy_. It sounded like some cliché out of a book.

"Morning," she replied as she took out her English assignment. Okita dug into his bag and took out a folder and rummaged through the papers, sighing loudly. "What is it? Forgot about the homework?"

"Yes," he replied defeatedly, followed by the most desperate smile she had ever witnessed, "Kira-_chan_, pleeeeaaaase?"

"Are you serious?!" She exclaimed, followed by a chuckle, "Someone did that to me earlier, and I'm not gonna help you either."

Okita winked at her, the pleading smile gone, as he took out the filled out paper. "Just kidding." Rolling her eyes, she gave him a light smack on the shoulder.

"You idiot."

Class went on by as usual, with Okita poking at her with small talk as the teacher paused to hand out more papers and finally collect the homework that piled into the homework basket.

Her phone buzzed on the table, and she glanced at the screen, reading a text all in caps from Bryn. Before she would unlock her phone, Okita snatched it away and started to mess with the lock screen. "Hey!" She hissed at him as she reached for the phone, but he simply moved his much longer arms away from her grabbing hands. "I swear to God, if you lock me out, I will _kill_ you," though there was no sign of malice in her voice.

"I wanna figure out your pattern though!" He whispered back as his thumb tried again, and again to pathetically figure out her lock screen, to the point where it was locked for thirty seconds.

The teacher glanced up through her glasses as she read out the instructions on what to write for an essay and went back to reading.

"Dude!" She grabbed his green sleeved arm and snatched her phone from his grasp and shoving it in her pocket. "What was that for?"

"Just want to mess with you," he chuckled.

The rest of class went on without a fuss, and before she knew it, she was in her next class, suffering in silence as she stared at the blank calculus quiz in front of her.

When lunch time rolled around, she unlocked her phone to be greeted by a distorted grin of Okita. Dropping the phone out of surprise, she covered her eyes and shook her head, with a wide grin splayed on her face.

Bryn slid into a chair beside her and took Kira's phone out of curiosity. Scrutinizing the image with imploring eyes, a mischievous smile curled her lips. "Souji stole your phone huh?"

"I don't even know when he did that!" Reaching over, she reclaimed her phone as she took out her lunch in her bag. Bryn poked her fork at her and shook her head.

"Okay, are you even gonna _deny_ that you like this guy?"

Kira pursed her lips and shoved her phone in her pocket. "No...no I'm not!"

"Ah!" She exclaimed, "I _knew_ it! Look at you, girl! Gettin' all the cute ones! So, so when are you gonna ask him out?"

"Huh?" She blinked as she emptied the contents of her lunch bag. "Seems to early," she shrugged. "We're just starting to warm up to each other."

"Well you might as well take him before some other girl snatches him up. I swear to God, girls are always around him."

The thought of it made her lip twitch into a small frown. What would be the horrible was that Okita would date some other girl when he was basically reincarnated to meet her again! As much as the idea was a possibility, she couldn't see him date another person just because of his personality.

"What's up, nerds?" Casy greeted them as she claimed a seat. Bryn nudged her and dunked some tater tots in a cup of ketchup. "Kira digs Souji." The girl responded nonchalantly.

Kira rolled her eyes, "Sure, all you're missing is a megaphone."

"Ah, I knew it!" And with that, the girl high-fived the other. "So when are you gonna ask him out? Or are you gonna be _those_ people to pretend they're not dating until the last minutes where it's completely obvious?"

"Excuse me? I don't know about you guys, but what happens if he doesn't like me back?" Highly unlikely. "It'll get really awkward with a guy friend I _actually_ like hanging out with."

"Kira, are you kidding me? Do you _not_ see the flirting between you two?"

"That's flirting? I thought it was just being _nice_."

Bryn waved her hand dismissively, "Same thing."

"Whatever," Casy sighed. "You guys already act like a couple, so it doesn't really matter."

* * *

Given another pulse of energy from an invigorating practice, Kira left the school's dance studio with most of her friends. With her backpack slung over her shoulder with the keys looped over her hooked finger, she took a mental note to park closer to the studio so she wouldn't have to walk so far to get to her car.

Bryn had about three girls tagging along with her, as she promised to give them rides, Casy being one of them. "You sure you don't want me to help? I got room in my car." Kira offered.

Her friend shook her head as she fished out her keys from her bag, jangling them in victory as she found them. "Nah it's alright. Besides, they all live close to my place." She replied with a grin. "And I'm sure you would like to talk to your cute foreign _boyfriend_," she snickered.

Kira scoffed and swung her backpack at her, sending some of the girls around Bryn astray before they clumped back to her like moths to a light. "He's _not_ my boyfriend!"

"He will be though," Casy murmured.

A sophomore with messy black hair inquired, "Ohh! Is he cute?"

The brunette let out a groan as she could feel the unasked questions probe at her. What was his name? What does he look like? Where did he move from? "Depends on you!"

"He's cute," her redhead friend replied quickly. "But not my type. He's all yours," she mused.

"Geeze," Kira sighed, "let's change the topic! You guys have been going at it since this morning! Cut me some slack."

A couple minutes rolled by, and the questions tapered as her friends went through different exits to get to their car, in which she parked her car on the _other side _of the school. Her legs were starting to reach a certain numbness where she couldn't feel any pain, but she knew that her legs were telling her that they were tired. Just as she reached the doors, the sound of the gym doors cracked open and mobs of guys flooded out from the gym and rushing to their cars.

Amidst the army of boys clad in sweat, she found Okita calmly exiting the gym with a content look on his face. It was weird, it seemed like he didn't do anything in that class as he wasn't flushed in the cheeks or sweating.

When the two locked eyes, he greeted her with his usual smile. "Hello there, Ms. Dancer."

"Hey," she replied, matching his smile. "How was gym?"

He shrugged as he casually raked a hand through his brick brown hair. "Wasn't that bad. We just played baseball in there. Not much fun if you can't play in the field. How was dance?"

Remembering that it was going to be freezing out, she dropped her bag and shrugged on her jacket. "It was nice. We're getting ready for a competition, that's all." She didn't want to get started on her other dance classes. Ms. Ray was shocked, but overjoyed that Kira came back so quickly. "You need a ride or something?" She asked, noting that he wasn't digging out for a ring of keys.

The two started to walk to the glass doors, "Ahh, I was going to call my sister," he shrugged, "but if you don't mind, it's fine."

"Alright, where do you live?" As they stepped out, she shivered as the wind nipped at her ears.

"It's down Madison, then you take a left at Fallbrooke."

"Oh, really? I live around there." It was no exaggeration when her heart fluttered.

"Cool, now I can stalk you!" He chuckled, "No, I'm not that creepy," he place a reassuring hand on her shoulder as they made it to her car. Tossing their stuff in the back, they slid into the car, and she drove off.

"My dear, I've met creepier. You don't even come close."

"Oh really? And who's that?" He asked as he messed around with the radio.

She paused for a moment to concoct an excuse, "It was some girl a couple years back." The image of Maeko lingered in the back of her mind, but as far as she knew, she didn't have to worry about her. Okita killed her after all.

"Hey watch it―!" His voice snapped her out of her daydream and immediately locked eyes with the slowing traffic up ahead. Slamming on her breaks, the car jerked to a stop, just brushing up to the point where the tires squealed. The two sighed. "I would appreciate it if you don't kill me." Okita responded breathlessly.

"Sorry...I got distracted."

"Because a devilishly handsome guy like me is sitting next to you?" He winked.

Kira grinned and punched his arm, "You wish."

Within a few minutes, the two were in the neighborhood as they were nearing Okita's house. Much to Kira's frustration, Okita wasn't being very cooperative with telling where his house was specifically, and it turned more of a hot-or-cold game. Okita in the past was never _this_ annoying...but it was better than nothing.

"Just tell me where your house is! I'm wasting gas!" She groaned. "I swear, I'm gonna kick you out of the car."

He pursed his lips, "Yeah right. You wouldn't do that."

The girl rolled her eyes and gestured to the houses, "I'm not going to drive you home again." She threatened.

Letting out a sigh, he put up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. Stop right here," he said as he gathered his things. Kira's car pulled up to a stop and Okita swung the door open. Leaning on the door frame, he grinned, "Thanks, Kira. I'll see you tomorrow." And then he shut the door. Kira watched him race up the steps and quickly slipped inside the ranch-styled home.

"See you tomorrow," she murmured to herself before heading to her house.

* * *

**Super slow chapter to start off a new story huh? Yeah, sorry about that― I'm trying to get back into character with Kira xD I can't say when the next update is, that depends on you guys! Let me know if you want me to continue this!**

**-Jen**


	2. First Position

**It's been forever, I know xD college applications are a beast. Sorry, for the wait!**

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CHAPTER 2

First Position

Heaving her bag onto the counter, Kira swooped into the kitchen and took out a bottle of water from the fridge. Glancing at the clock, she rolled her eyes at the hands that were persistent on driving her nuts. She had roughly thirty minutes to get ready _again_ and go on to dance class at the studio.

Her dad walked in with an empty glass. "Hey, you're back," he said as he filled the glass with the tap. "How was dance?"

"Eh," she shrugged. "Not bad. Mom still working?"

"Yeah, they wanted her to stay a few more hours," he dumped out the contents and put the washed out cup on the sink edge. "How was school then?"

"Other than my friends 'bullying' me, it was okay." She ventured into the pantry and pulled out a few granola bars. Tossing them in her dance bag, which had been sitting in a chair, she added, "And I have an essay to do."

He chuckled and pinched her side, "Was it because you were super _dorky_ today?"

"_Dad_!" She exclaimed and waved him away, "No, it's just the typical girl stuff. Something you'll never understand."

"You have a point." He went to the fridge and pulled out a container of leftover spaghetti from last night and tossed it in the microwave. As it hummed, he asked, "You going to eat something before you go?"

"Probably." Setting the condensing bottle on the granite counter, she shuffled her way to the stairs and jogged her way up. Entering her room, which had remained clean for three days straight, she went over to her dresser and scooped up her things.

It was a pretty bland room with a couple large picture frames on the pink walls, which haven't been painted over for three years, with a semi-cluttered desk tucked in the corner. Her bed had a mountain of pillows residing on it with glow-in-the-dark stars tacked on the ceiling.

Basically, she hadn't touched it ever since she started high school.

After getting in her warm ups, she went to her nightstand and yanked out the charger plugged in the wall and hurried downstairs, tossing her hair in a messy bun.

Roughly twenty minutes passed and she had a reasonable amount of food in her stomach with her arsenal of snacks in her bag, double checking she had her pointe, tap, and jazz shoes. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she collected her keys and phone, jangling them as she headed to the door.

* * *

By the time her last class ended, her phone buzzed for the umpteenth time. Stuffing her hand in the sauna-like pocket, she took out her phone and checked her messages. Slinging the strap on her shoulder, she tapped the new message. Maybe one of her friends decided to spam the life out of her phone. To her surprise, it was Okita.

Okita had managed to steal her phone a few weeks ago and put in his contact. He seldom texted her since he kept 'terrorizing' her in class, and this was one of those rare moments where he _did_ text her.

Reading his message, she smirked. Apparently there was someone who beat him at kendo, and the emotionless texts seemed to radiate his anger clearly. He hated losing, since he was considered one of the best swordsmen, when she was with the Shinsengumi at least. Still, his personality remained the same as his competitiveness showed through while he was in kendo. Scrolling up, she stifled a laugh at the thirteen plus unread messages, the first one sent a couple hours ago, which were her grueling hours of tap.

From behind her, Bryn latched onto her and peered over her shoulder in wonder. "Hmm, who are ya texting?" It didn't take long for a mischievous smirk to curl her lips. "Souji, huh? Since when did you get his number?" Her voice rung with hope as she continued to wander inside Kira's personal bubble.

Kira shrugged her off, "A while now! He just never texts me."

"That's why _you_ have to text him once in a while, dear." She mused. By now, she had a huge grin to show her pearly whites. "You can't expect him to do all the work!"

"We aren't _dating_ for Pete's sake! I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall with you."

Widening her grin, she poked at Kira's sides. "Whatever you say. Anywho, I'll see ya."

Honestly, Kira wondered if she ever listened...but then again, it was Bryn, so anything was possible. Shooting Okita a response, she took out her keys and exited the studio. Greeted by a nip of cold wind, she shuddered under her jacket. Her phone buzzed again, and she glanced at the screen.

Two seconds barely passed when she literally collided into someone. Dropping her phone out of surprise, she nearly dove for it, but failed to catch it before it landed face first on the pavement. She cringed as she heard it clatter noisily. Muttering a curse, she picked up her phone and observed the screen, earning a low apology from the stranger and nodded at him absentmindedly.

Running her thumb over the screen, she gave the screen a passing grade. Unlocking her car, she slid in and drove off.

The next day came faster than Kira had expected, and more unexpected things were thrown her way when she closed her locker door and was greeted by Okita's somber face. "Oh my god!" Surprise was replaced with feigned sympathy. "What's up? Don't tell me you're still mad about kendo." It was passing period, and she had English with Okita next, coincidentally.

His gaze answered for her as his brow furrowed to a memory, probably something unpleasant. Leaning off the lockers, he finally added, "He's some new guy who joined yesterday, no joke, he whooped my ass." He grumbled, "Annoying."

Kira tilted her head thoughtfully, "Then maybe you shouldn't have gone easy on him."

"I wasn't."

Knowing Okita, past self at least, he was probably plotting that guy's doom, or at least a rematch. She remembered during her strange trip to the past when Okita and Saito were sparring. Saito was a force to be reckoned with, since he was the most skilled swordsmen out of the Shinsengumi, and she had Wikipedia confirm it―even though her English teachers drilled into her head that it wasn't a good source. She watched as Saito managed to get Souji just by using the quick draw. Good thing they were only using bamboo swords.

Okita didn't mind the defeat, but was keen on keeping up with him, with many rematches as she continued to stay in the compound...at least he beat him at having a sense of humor.

"Maybe next time you'll get him." She replied.

All she got was a less than charismatic 'hmm', followed by, "You should come with me and watch." He said coolly, following her to class.

Her interest sparked like a light bulb. "That depends, I have dance almost everyday."

"After school, today."

Her excitedness was piqued as a smile curled her lips. The few days she _didn't _have dance were Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, at the studio. The school's dance team practice every weekday, but it didn't run long. "Sure, that works. But I have practice after school."

"Oh, serious? Couldn't stay away from me, huh?" Just like the old Okita, but their coy smirks remained the same.

Unfazed by his remark, she rolled her eyes. "It's just because I want to see kendo for the first time, and see you get yourself destroyed again."

"Don't worry, he's going down." He half-smirked. "And could you be awesome and drive us there?"

She pursed her lips, thinking the last time she drove him. "Will your sense of direction be with you this time?"

"Pfft," he scoffed, "I know how to get there like the back of my hand."

* * *

"It's a _date_, Kira." Bryn said, obviously holding in the squeal that was threatening to surface. With a cheeky grin, she shook Kira by the shoulder, "You can see him all athletic and," she clenched her fist and shook it, looking up dramatically, "_ugh_, you're so lucky!"

"It's―"

"A date!" Casy quipped, highfiving her accomplice.

"Not! He probably just wants to show off."

"Duh, that's the point." Bryn deadpanned.

The girls got off dance, and they were getting all their stuff while remaining girls headed out the studio. By then, Kira got giddy at the thought of hanging out with Souji _outside _of school, and it made it difficult to focus in dance. She, however, made the horrible mistake in telling her friends, who had seem to set getting Kira and Souji together as a goal.

"You guys gonna go somewhere after his kendo practice?"

Kira shrugged. "We didn't really talk about it afterwards."

"You guys are _so_ boring," Bryn shook her head.

Hefting her back onto her shoulder, she placed a hand on the door, pausing to turn around. "What about you, hmm? I saw you and David hanging out in the halls… a _lot_." Kira mimicked the smug look her friend had been giving her.

"What!?" Bryn picked up her head. "Ew, no! We just have a project to do in forensics because Mr. Noughgreen put us together!" Her voice cracked at the end.

"A bit dramatic, don't you think?" Kira stuck her tongue at her, and Casy followed her lead.

"He's pretty cute." She nodded.

"Remember? Kira and Souji?" Bryn nodded in enthusiasm to mentally persuade Casy back on her side. The nervous tone that rung in her voice pleaded to the others not to put her in the spotlight, but her friends thought otherwise.

"Isn't he friends with basically everyone?" Kira inquired.

"He's the epitome of perfection. Great personality, _smart_, friendly. Wow Bryn, going for the obvious ones huh?"

Bryn's embarrassment showed through her blushing cheeks, in which Kira and Casy grinned triumphantly and headed out the studio with Bryn rushing behind. Squeezing in between the two, she huffed, "As if he would like me back anyways. He knows a lot of girls, and I'm sure he's immune to flirting."

"The Tragic Bryn," Casy swooned. Turning her attention to Kira, she asked, "So where's his kendo practice?"

"No idea. He said it wasn't too far."

Almost as if on cue, a mess of brownish hair and a green sweater neared the group. Kira could hear the sound of the gym door opening and closing repeatedly as more guys filtered out of the gym, with Okita walking up to the girls.

"Speak of the devil," Bryn regained her composure and nudged Kira. "Have fun, tiger."

Smacking her friend's shoulder, she exclaimed under her breath, "You did _not_ just say that!" A dumb grin curled her friend's mouth, followed by a ridiculous chuckle that you would only hear in cartoons, like the evil character chuckling in the shadows.

"Kira," he greeted her, giving a small smile to her friends. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

They all headed out the doors and split up to find their cars, Kira manage to park close to the doors so she would be spared by the bitter winds that nipped at her legs and nose. As the two shared their stories of the day, Kira managed to get Okita to tell her where the practice was held. Apparently it was held in one of the sports halls in Belle Star Athletics. Belle Star Athletics was one of the newly built complexes where it had a swimming pool, a couple ice rinks, basketball courts, tennis courts and a few baseball fields outside, followed by two soccer fields, one indoor and the other outdoor. It was where you can do any sport without going to another place, and it was much more fancier than the rec center. Not to mention the place was _huge_, and it even had an auditorium for concerts.

Kira had driven by it, but never stepped inside. It was almost intimidating with all these athletes going inside the enormous building for hours on end. Even schools around the county went to Belle Star.

Managing to nab a decent parking space, Kira grabbed behind her seat and fished out her hoodie and quickly put it over her before she left the warmness that was her car. Okita took out a bag that he tossed in the back of her car and put it over his shoulder.

"How long does the practice run?" She asked, stuffing her hands in her hoodie pocket.

"Two hours," he shrugged. "But time goes by so fast."

Once they got inside, Kira struggled to keep her jaw off the floor. It resembled to the interior of a mall with many tunnels that lead to other parts of the building. Sunlight poured through the windowed ceilings with wandering people underneath it. There was even a directory sitting next to a service desk in the middle of the Belle. The main lobby had food vendors lining across the wall, mimicking a food court, and the aroma of all the food combining was enough to make her mouth water.

Okita led her to one of the halls, and Kira continued to struggle her wandering eyes from staring at everything around her. She couldn't help it―everything was new! By the time they reached the other end, she was greeted by another hall with doors dotting the walls and what sounded like basketballs and shouts leaking through a couple doors.

"We usually practice in the basketball courts," he pointed to the third set of doors. "There."

When they headed inside, she found herself in a basketball court with people in kendo uniforms, some had their helmets on or under their arm, conversing with other team mates. She spotted a few guys without any of their armor on, and all she thought was..._idiots, you'll get all bruised up._ Resembling towel whipping antics in shower rooms in the swim team, a few whacked their friends with the bamboo swords occasionally.

The loud _crack_ from clashing bamboo swords snapped her out of her trance, and she blinked at Okita, who had been apparently speaking. "―you can just sit on the bleachers. Keep an eye out for me," he winked.

_Everyone looks the same with all the armor on..._she rolled her eyes mentally. "Will do."

Giving her a playful salute, Okita rushed off to one of the doors across the gym, probably to change. Kira fidgeted with her keys inside her pockets as she looked around. This was _much_ different than when she was with the Shinsengumi. They didn't wear armor, or at least when they were sparring. And there were so _many_ of them too!

Heading to the bleachers, she couldn't help eyes staring at her through the metal grills. Suddenly the comfort of wearing shorts and legwarmers went away and she tried not to fidget as she grabbed a seat.

Pulling out her phone, she scrolled through her messages and responded to Bryn's on-going interrogation. Her phone buzzed again, this time Bryn wanted a picture of all the people in kendo. Switching to the camera option, she snapped a quick one and sent it to her. As her eyes periodically glanced at the progress bar, she caught the gaze of a guy on the floor conversing with a small group.

At first, she paid no mind to it, but as she took a second glance, she got a better look of his face. Light brown hair, spiked in the front. He looked a bit taller than most of the people in his group, and his friends looked up and joined in with his gaze. It was at the point where you catch someone stare, and you wonder if you should just smile or continue to _pretend_ they're not staring. Choosing the latter, she took her eyes off of him and caught sight of Okita emerging from the locker room with helmet and bamboo sword in his hand.

_Hmm. Not bad. _It almost seemed like they were back in the Edo period, and Okita's garb made it look like he was a samurai as depicted by the glittering armor displays in museums, though his outfit was entirely black.

He flashed her a half smile and within a few minutes, practice began.

The group was arranged in lines of two, and mainly they did some stretching. Kira's eyes wandered around, watching others to various drills with the wooden swords. She didn't know how long it had been, but this managed to become one of the noisiest sports she's ever heard, next to swimming and football with all the constant cheers from the audience. The foot stomps and harsh _clacks_ of the swords rung loudly through the gym. This seemed way more violent than she remembered. By now, they all had their helmets on, and she lost sight on Okita, who now blended in with everyone else.

Kendo seemed like a pretty intense and fast-moving sport. A couple matches had ensued and she struggled to keep up with the thrusts of the swords. Every few seconds, a flag would go up, awarding a point. The girl looked up kendo a couple times, but in turn skipped most of the articles since the pages were overwhelmingly lengthy. All-in-all she got the gist of kendo. There were three spots you could hit, the head, wrist and the rest of the body, and to win, you needed best out of three.

A loud shout sounded throughout the gym. Kira blinked in surprise and sat up a bit straighter. A red flag rose and the two competitors went back to their designated sides. It was the match closest to her, might as well watch it. The flag lowered. "Begin!"

Literally they dove after eachother, waving their bamboo swords, similar to what she would see in lightsaber fights. Sharp cracks resonated and mixed with the other noises, and the strikes and thrusts continued until one swiped at the other's wrist. The white flag rose, followed by another exclamation.

Sitting at the edge of her seat, she uncrossed her legs and watched intently to see who would get the next point. The match started again. Within seconds, the red flag went up. Shortly after, the white one was raised as well.

_These two are _really_ into this…_ The final match started and Kira found herself gripping her phone tightly as she watched the quick swords. Amidst the clacks of swords, the sword whacked the other on top of the head, and the red flag was raised.

She scrunched her brows, as if detecting the tension from the two. They seemed almost relieved and annoyed at the same time, even though their faces were covered up, well at least that's what she thought. She was still tense from the match.

Eventually, it was time to finish practice. The groups disbanded as people headed to the locker rooms to change while some continued to talk to their friends. Stepping down from the bleachers, she spotted Okita walking out of the locker room with his usual sly smirk and now out of his kendo gear.

"Hey," a voice sounded from the side of her. Glancing over her shoulder, she nodded in recognition of his face. He was roughly a head and a half taller than her, and his forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat. "Haven't seen you around here before." He said with a shy grin.

She nodded, trying to not look rude as she took another glance back at Okita, "Yeah, someone brought me."

Okita finally reached the two. With a grin he looked at her, "So what did you think?"

"It was pretty cool...but then you all put on the helmets and I couldn't tell anyone apart."

It seemed like her comment went unnoticed, as the two guys exchanged looks that were less than friendly. The guy Kira was just talking to spoke up. "Ahh, Souji took you here. What do you think of the place?" Bringing his eyes down at her, she shifted under his gaze.

"It's _huge_."

"Yeah, I nearly got lost the first time I came in here. It was yesterday, actually."

"Really?" She inquired, tilting her head out of the slightest curiosity. "So how was your first day?"

He shrugged, "It was okay. I had a match with him though," he smiled gently and gestured to Okita.

Kira snapped her fingers in a realization and looked at Okita. "He was the one who beat you?"

"Geeze, Kira. Why don't you just rub it in," he replied sourly, but a grin remained plastered on his face. "At least we're even now." He smirked. There was no doubt that she could feel the competition between these two, even though they apparently met only yesterday.

The guy considered it for a second and nodded, replying cooly, "Anyways, I'm Grayson."

"Kira."

"Ehh, ever heard of not talking to strangers?" Okita nudged her side with his elbow, but she shoved it away.

Grayson lifted a brow and said enthusiastically, "We won't be strangers if she keeps on visiting. You should try kendo out. It's fun."

"And get pummeled by wooden sticks? No thanks. I have other stuff to worry about. Besides, I fought with real katanas before," she said. Before the brown haired teen could respond, Okita beat him to it.

"Ready to go? I'm _starving_." He asked.

Nodding, she fished out her keys. "Yeah."

"See you later then, Souji. Get ready for another rematch." Grayson nodded.

"Trust me, it won't be much of a match," he replied without giving him a passing glance right before the two left the gym. As the doors closed, Kira furrowed her brows and looked up at him.

"What was that about? You still bitter from last time?"

"No." He responded in an icy tone, but was quickly replaced with a much more casual one. "So that match you saw, the one near the bleachers?"

"Yeah?"

"That was us."

_That_ explained it. "Ahh. You guys were acting like it were a matter of life and death." She laughed half heartedly.

"It would've if we were back in samurai time."

_Funny thing about that._ "So you wanna grab something to eat then?"

He looked at her as if she spoke in a different language. "Eh? I'm not hungry."

"Then why did you…"

"I just didn't want to be around him. He irritates me." Okita replied as if it were nothing. Talk about not sugar coating anything. "It was like he just waltzed in and immediately wanted to challenge me. It wasn't like he was a newbie or anything, guy's pretty good."

"Well at least you beat him this time," she replied optimistically. "Would you feel better if you and I sparred?"

"Are you kidding?" He chuckled, "You would be too easy, it wouldn't be fun."

She cocked her head to the side and grimaced at him. "I can hold my ground!" Thing went back to normal by then.

"Whatever you say, Ms. Dancer." He paused. "You _sure_ you don't want to try out kendo? There's not a lot of girls at practice."

"I'm already busy with dance, so I guess I'll just watch." She shrugged, followed by a smile.

"Oh, you want to come with me next time? My skills were _pretty _amazing huh?"

"Not with your ego that's the size of the sun." The two laughed as they headed out of the Belle.

* * *

**After days of procrastinating, I got something done. Isn't Kira's life just _exciting_? Marvelous.**

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm thoroughly impressed with all the feedback from the first chapter, and I'm honored that you guys wanted more! I'll try not to let you down xD As always, I'll see you guys in the next chapter.**

**-Jen**


	3. Chassé

**I'm ALIVE! Busy month was busy, blah blah, enjoy! I'll tell you the details later!**

* * *

CHAPTER 3

Chassé

The alarm clock blared loudly in her ear. Opening her eyes, she saw stripes and pinwheels as she adjusted to the new lighting, trying to shut the darn thing off in her stupor. Slapping the snooze button, she looked through the jungle of hair swept over her face and stared at the blinking numbers. She nearly forgot she had practice on Saturdays.

Yawning, she tugged the sheets closer and rolled over on the other side, trying to get a few more minutes in. The alarm seemed to stick inside her brain, because she couldn't fall back asleep. Cutting her losses, she kicked off her sheets and started to get ready.

It was nine thirty, and the girl was less than excited for another day of dancing. Getting into her clothes, she did a combination of eating breakfast and brushing her hair while watching the clock.

Minutes ticked by and she was headed out the door to dance. By now, anyone could tell Kira lives an _exciting _life. Unlike fighting Rasetsu, criminals and running around in Kyoto, she was back on her weekly routine of school and dance.

A few hours passed, too quickly to Kira's surprise. As everyone started to leave, she caught a glimpse of a familiar face standing at the door of the studio. A girl walked up to him and gave him a light punch to his side, and he responded with a shove.

Hefting her bag over her shoulder, she walked up to him. He must've heard her, because he looked up and threw her a smile.

"Hey," Grayson greeted.

"Hey," she shifted her weight on her other leg. "What are you doing here?"

Nodding over to a girl in a similar shade of light brown hair as he, he replied, "I'm picking up my sister. I liked your dance," he then struck an over exaggerated pose, making the most ridiculous facial expression.

"Oh my _god_! You're so stupid!" His sister moaned. Over the months, Kira learned that her name was Maya. "Yes," the girl huffed. "This is my brother, and he's leaving _right_ now."

"Oh come on! I'm not even doing anything," he wheedled. All jokes aside, his gaze returned to Kira, and he smiled lightly at her. "I should've known you were a dancer."

"Well, how could you? We only talked for a few minutes." She paused. "Souji told me you were new. Did you just _join_ or move here?"

"Nah, I just moved. Maya went on ahead with my mom and I stayed back finishing a couple things."

Sparking her curiosity, she asked, "Where did you guys move from?"

"Angelstown, you know where that's at yeah?"

"Oh yeah! That's not far from here at all." Angelstown was fifteen minutes away. Her friends called it Rich-People-Town since it had recently got an influx of wealthy newcomers, and new houses were outnumbering the older ones. "How do you like it here?"

He shrugged. "It's not that much different, I guess it's okay. So how's the school here?"

"Like any other school. Dark and crowded," she smiled at the thought. "Are you gonna start soon?"

"Yeah," Grayson nodded. "What year are you?"

"Senior. You?" He nodded. "Well, if you want someone to guide you through the halls, I'm not the best choice. I'll leave you in the dust."

He smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You don't sugarcoat things, I'll tell you that. I think I'll be fine, thanks for your _generous_ offer." Glancing at the clock and the rather irritated expression on Maya's face, he added, "Well, I guess I'll see you Monday then?"

"Yeah, if you can find me at least." Grayson nodded and turned around with Maya not so far behind, fishing out his keys, he jangled him as he waved before leaving the studio.

It hadn't been a second until she was hip-checked by Casy. Completely unprepared, Kira stumbled to the left before bouncing back with more of a body shove. "What was that for?" By the look of Casy's small smirk Kira knew too well, she shook her head. "Okay, okay, that was _no one_ special!"

She scoffed and folded her arms. "That's what you said when we saw you talking to Souji. Who is that guy? He's really cute!"

The two girls collected their stuff and headed out into the chilly afternoon air. "He's some guy in Souji's kendo class. The guy hates his guts."

"Why?" She chuckled.

"Ahh, apparently Grayson is challenging Souji's skills or something like that. It's a competition thing," she said finally. "He's gonna start school on Monday."

Sliding into Kira's frigid car, the two peeled out on the road with the heater in full blast, only to get sprayed in the face with freezing air. "I didn't know Maya had an older brother," Casy replied as she shut the vents.

"Me either. They moved in from Angelstown,"

Her friend nodded, immediately recognizing the name. "Ohh, Rich-People-Town. How did he get from there to our _lovely_ little town?"

"Does it look like I know everything?" She remarked, making a left-hand turn at a light. "Just because I talked to him, doesn't mean I know his life story."

Casy paused before something lit up in her eyes. "Wait, wait! This was the guy who walked up to you after kendo right?" Kira nodded. "I think he likes you," she grinned in a voice lower than normal.

Scrunching up her nose in distaste, Kira clicked her tongue. "Are you just gonna stick me with any guy you see me talking to? You're turning into Bryn! You're supposed to be the serious one!"

"Hey," she shrugged, "I need to make up for the void." The third musketeer was stuck at her baby cousin's birthday party. Her mother insisted that she had to tag along and watch kids run around with hands covered in cake and whatever they could get their hands on.

Arriving in Casy's neighborhood, she pulled into a driveway dusted in snow with little tire tracks showing that her mom borrowed her car, hence why Kira drove Casy home. Hurrying out of the car, Casy punched in the PIN for the garage door and the two dove under the slow moving door and hurried inside.

Casy lived in the older part of Francis, in the neighborhood with tons of oak trees crammed together alongside the sidewalks and ranch homes that were close together. The house was small, but more than enough for two people living inside. They had just redone most of the house, and Kira particularly liked the upgraded kitchen with granite countertops and high-tech appliances. Walking to the pantry she was all too familiar with, Kira poked her head inside and grabbed herself a box of Chips Ahoy! cookies and a can of Sprite.

Not being any better, Casy slipped past Kira and got a can of Root Beer and snatched a cookie from the already opened box in her friend's hand. Heading to the living room, Kira plopped down on the huge couch. Honestly, the couch cushions could easily swallow her entire body if she wasn't careful.

Casy turned the TV on and started to flip through the channels, pausing at Thor and then continuing. Kira jumped and exclaimed, "No! Go back! _Go back_!"

"But we've already seen this!" She wheedled.

"So?" Grabbing the remote, she went back to Thor and set the remote in between her leg and the couch's armrest. By the time the movie ended, the entire Chips Ahoy! box was cleaned out with a couple cans of pop littering the nearby table. Once the credits rolled, Casy got up to trash the box. Calling out from the kitchen she said, "So...how about that Grayson guy?"

"What about him?"

"He's cute, huh." Kira heard the pantry door swing open and the sound of rustling packages. "You know, it's nice that you're back."

She furrowed her brows and turned around in the couch. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she continued, now sitting on the armrest with a box of Goldfish, "the...I-don't-know, the old you! You're more talkative."

"Oh." Kira nodded.

"It's a _good_ thing! It's weird, ever since you started talking with Souji you've been your old self."

_Funny thing about that_. Casy wasn't wrong after all. It was amazing how fast she pulled a 180 after she realized that there was another Okita in her time. Though he seemed different too...he seemed darker, less happy. As much as she wanted to believe that the Okita she knew was back, she couldn't shake off the lingering feeling that it wasn't completely him. Was it the memories they shared? Maybe if he just _remembered_, then everything would be fine.

_Kira, you're so stupid! There aren't any demons here, no magic―nothing._

She shrugged. "If you say so."

"Well, just don't stop talking to him, Bryn and I like old Kira, not gloomy and lonely Kira―sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like that!" Casy shook her head, throwing her friend an apologetic grin, which Kira took with a nod.

"Nah, I get it. The accident just messed me up―I thought I died…"

"―And then the nightmare?" She finished slowly. Casy didn't press it any further, knowing too well that it was the main cause of Kira's depression. Over time, Kira finally got the guts to explain to her friends what she was going through, and although it was part truth, part lie, she explained that someone important to her died in the _dream_ and it somehow messed her up. By now she was over it, but she still didn't want to talk openly about it, getting a few echoes from her previous heartache.

Pulling her lips in a tight smile, she nodded. After a while, the two sat in comfortable silence, that is until Casy broke it again. "So when are you guys gonna go out?"

"Oh my _god_!"

* * *

Eventually, Kira had to leave to get some procrastinated homework done. Saying goodbye to her friend, she headed on home while the clouds started to gather. As she got out of the neighborhood, small flakes dotted on her windshield and melted at the touch.

The sun was nearing its shift as she got into her neighborhood and pulled into the driveway. The ramp was left untouched as there were no tire tracks in the snow. They were probably caught in rush hour, that or some idiot didn't know how to drive in flurries and got into a wreck.

Parking her car, she hauled her stuff out. Ducking under the rising garage door, she quickly entered the house and closed the garage door behind her. Setting her stuff in the living room chair, she shrugged off her jacket as she went to her backpack and resurfaced her government book. Fishing out a pencil, she hopped on a stool at the island and flipped to the page.

Scowling at the pages, she took a quick trip through her thoughts. At least she wouldn't be this bored if he...if he didn't _push _her! She still didn't get why he did that. Of course she could've adapted to his lifestyle! There was no glaringly obvious answer, so she scrounged up the best case scenario and told herself he was overwhelmed by all the demons surrounding them. He was injured and didn't know if he could keep her alive.

She was pulled out of her memories when she heard a rather loud bang. Dropping her pencil, she scooted off the stool, slowly heading for the source of the sound. It came from the garage. It was that moment when someone was alone and immediately felt like they were being watched like in a suspense movie. Heading in the garage, she flicked on the lights, repeatedly telling herself that it was probably a mouse that knocked over something.

Nothing.

Maybe dad tapped the garage door with his car. He was never too patient with the garage door anyways. Pressing the button, she waited for the sight of the front of her dad's truck, but it never came. Kira froze at something else.

The door to her car was hanging there, wide open. She could've sworn she closed it instinctively. Hopping up the small steps, she reached in and grabbed a set of extra keys on the key rack and, without shoes, darted outside in the heavier snowfall and locked and closed the door. Almost immediately she could feel the frigid snow melt, and seep through her socks and freezing her toes. Moaning at her own stupidity, she turned around to see a man with snow white hair.

Hair color matching the snow and red eyes that seemed to glow with the familiar hunger she learned all too well, she nearly dropped her keys. _What the hell? No, no, no, no! _Hands numb from fear or the cold, she couldn't tell which, she fumbled with her key fob to press the right button. As it staggered towards her, she managed to press the lock button a few more times. "Shit!" She muttered and glanced at her door, hand on the handle and then at the demon she refused to recall.

On the verge of tears of frustration and fear, she managed to unlocked the car and whipped the door open and slammed it behind her as she dove into the car. Just before it could get ahold of the door, its body was yanked back and then tackled by another figure. Locking the doors one too many times, she stared out the window as she saw the two fight each other. She could see two heads of white hair, both sending punches and kicks to one another until the one who initially approached her was launched down the ramp, collecting up some snow on impact and staggered to its feet. Eventually, its strength returned and it dashed off into the snowfall. The second one lingered on her driveway, glancing at the car before sprinting away.

"The hell was that?!" She rasped. Waiting for a few seconds, she dashed out of her car, locking it and bounded to the house. Racing up the steps, she ran into the bathroom and splashed her face with water until her cheeks were red from the hot water. Staring at her reflection, she took mirror-Kira, "You were―you were imagining things! That was not―! That wasn't!" She patted her face dry and headed into her room, locking the door and burying herself under the blankets.

* * *

**So sorry for the late chapter! This was the busiest I've ever been! Prom was fun, got blisters, guy trouble, choir stuff― geeze I need a break! But you all deserve something! Thank you for your reviews! I was surprised people still read it after my disappearance! I'm going to do my best to actually upload more frequently!**

**-Jen**


	4. Brisé

**HAPPY GRADUATION TO ME AND ALL YOU SENIORS OUT THERE! Woo! So, instead of walking, I had to go to New York, but hey, I'm singing at Carnegie Hall with my choir...so I think that's more important than graduation xD **

**Sorry for the wait! Enjoy. And again, congrats class of '15! We made it!**

* * *

CHAPTER 4

Brisé

Ever since her little hallucination―whatever it was―on Saturday, the rest of Kira's weekend didn't go as well as she hoped. She couldn't sleep well, so she was a little disgruntled when she woke up early on her day off. When she got to the kitchen, she forgot she left her government book on the counter, homework unfinished of course.

The rest of her day was spent in her house, mainly in her room while keeping her mind off yesterday. Netflix did wonders to distract her, but it wouldn't be able to help her through school the next day.

On Monday, she arrived with a Not-Trying-Today attitude. She woke up late, and decided to throw her hair up in a messy ponytail and wore sweats and a hoodie that was one size too big for her. As usual, she was heading to the café, and as she rounded a corner, she nearly bumped into someone. Kira did the awkward side-step, and so did he. She sighed and tried again before she heard her name.

"Kira...was it?"

She finally looked up to see the face. Grayson grinned at her. "Oh," she put a hand to her head, "sorry! It's...it's been a long weekend," she explained.

"You don't need to apologize," he chuckled. "Is it a lazy day for you?" He gestured to her hoodie.

Kira groaned and walked around him. "Please don't point it out." She shook her head. "Anyways, what class do you have?"

"Calc," he said. "Mr…" he looked down at his crinkled up schedule. "Hays."

He wasn't so bad. She had him for the first couple weeks she had been back, but had to transfer out because of conflicting classes. "Oh, he's actually right above us," she pointed at the ceiling. "He's pretty chill."

Grayson nodded. "Cool." He paused for a minute, "So where are you off to?"

"The café to meet up with my friends―if they're still there. I got here later than usual," she said as she glanced at the clock that jutted out from the wall above a door. "Wanna come with me?"

"And you said you wouldn't look after me when I got here," he snickered. "Sure, I don't mind."

It was about five minutes before the bell rang, and all who were left at Kira's table were Bryn and...Okita surprisingly. The two looked up at her with grins, but both expressions changed when their eyes fell on Grayson, just behind her. Bryn held more of an excited expression, followed by a cheeky grin, and Okita just gave him an icy stare.

"Hey, Kira!" Bryn chirped.

"Hi," she returned and gestured to Grayson. "This is Grayson, he's...in kendo with Souji."

"Oh!" She nodded. "You mean the guy who beat―"

"I didn't know you went here," Okita said with the least bit of enthusiasm. It was obvious that he didn't like Grayson, and the feeling seemed mutual as the other male replied with an equal amount of distaste in his voice. "Yeah, I just started."

Bryn wasn't dumb; she could feel the tension between these two. Clearing her throat, she added, "I'm Bryn by the way." Grayson smiled politely at her. "So where are you from?"

"Ahh, Angelstown."

"Well, welcome to Francis!" She exclaimed, spreading her arms out.

The icy barrier between Okita and Grayson had somewhat diminished after Bryn spoke, but it was still there. Both girls gave each other uncertain glances. Kira finally spoke up. "So, what are you doing here, Souji? You don't usually come here."

"I was actually looking for you." It was then when the bell rang, and as usual, everyone simultaneously got up and headed off to class. Kira showed off Grayson to his class, and then she went off to environmental science, another class she had with Okita. It was a slow paced, small class with an easy-going teacher. Kira didn't know what other science class to take, and forensic science is something she preferred not to do during her senior year. "So what's up?" Kira asked.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to go kendo practice with me again." He replied, not even looking at her.

"You could've just texted me. But, uh, sure I guess."

She heard his content, "Cool. Same place?" She nodded. "Oh yeah! Did you watch the news last night?"

The two made it to class before the final bell run. They took their seats at the high tables and Okita fished out his phone, scrolling for a bit before handing it to Kira. "There's a huge article about it too on the website. Some guy was murdered."

"Murdered?" She repeated as she read the headline. 'MAN FOUND MAULED ON DRIVEWAY' She squinted and continued reading: _Around 8:23, November 18, neighbors hear the sound of what seemed to be a bear. Witnesses claim they saw a figure with white hair standing in the driveway of 56-year-old Karl Williamson. Williamson was found dead, murdered viciously. Police claims to have the situation under control as nearby neighborhoods are warned about a dangerous animal on the loose. _Kira's stomach flip-flopped as she re-read the words, 'white hair'. Okita peered at her paling face. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Y-yeah. Did they say where?"

"Front Legacy." That was only five minutes away where she lived. Handing him back the phone, she struggled to keep a calm composition as she took out her binder. She flipped to a blank paper and looked up at the board. Nothing. "Hey, did you forget? Teach is out today. Are you _sure_ you're alright?" He asked, voice suddenly low.

Putting a hand to her head, she replied. "No, I'm not." What sucked about this class was that it was _always_ quiet. Voice barely above a whisper, she said, "I...Saturday night, I saw something in my driveway. It had white hair and red eyes."

The sub looked up from her desk and started to call roll with a very heavy southern accent. Okita, now concerned, asked, "Do you think it was…?"

"I don't know," she said lamely. "Maybe it was, maybe I was just going crazy." The sub called her name a couple times, and Okita nudged her arm. Kira's voice piped up, "Here!" And the elderly woman continued. After roll was done, she explained to them that it was a free day, and she went back to her desk, reading a book through a pair of thin glasses.

"Did it look like a bear?"

"No. It looked _human_." Oh, how she wished he knew what she was actually talking about. It wasn't like she could go to police and tell them it was a demon who had vampire-like traits. "But there were _two_ of them."

"Two?"

"One was about to attack me, and the other tackled it and chased it away, so I'm not even sure what I saw was real." She rested her head on her arms on the desk.

She saw his displeased look. "You didn't call the police? If the guy was going to kill you…"

"Are you kidding? I just went back inside and fell asleep! I don't know what I saw," she hastened.

Okita sighed. "If that happens again, call the police! I don't think any of us want another murder on the front page of a newspaper." His sudden concern over her was what caught her attention. She looked up at him for a second before putting her eyes on the specks of dust on her phone.

Absentmindedly, she asked, "So how about your arch nemesis going to the same school, huh?"

"Kira," he sighed. "Are you kidding me? Just another guy to ignore in this school." He feigned hurt. "Why are you always asking about him? Am I not good enough?"

She scoffed. "You're enough. Sorry, did I hurt your feelings?"

"Not really," he stuck his tongue out.

* * *

From English to the end of dance practice, time seemed to fly by. Before she knew it, she walked out of the studio, with Okita waiting for her. Nearly rushing out of the school to avoid her friends' comments, they headed out to the Belle and Kira found herself sitting in the same bleachers. Not even fifteen minutes later went by and Grayson walked up to her, wearing his kendo uniform.

"Back again?" He smiled.

"Yeah, I don't have anything else to do," she shrugged. "How was your first day?"

"Not bad," he nudged her leg with the practice sword, "though it would help if you showed me a couple more of my classes. I got lost."

She laughed, "How? There's _four_ halls! Forgot which was which?"

"I kept on walking to the music wing. Why didn't you tell me the library was a shortcut?"

Putting up her hands in defense, she shook her head, "I thought you would assume! If the library sits in the middle of the school, wouldn't you think there would be a shortcut? I can't babysit you," she said with a smile.

"You owe me, jerk," he said in a tone that contradicted his words.

"I _owe_ you?" Chuckling, she asked, "Why? What's your schedule for tomorrow?"

"Ahh, it's in my bag. Are you gonna actually show me where my classes are?"

"Wasn't that your goal?" Kira admitted, he was one of the nicest guys she had met. Especially since she grew up with nearly everyone at her school, so she knew what everyone was really like. Okita wasn't that hard to figure out, though he didn't act completely like his past self, but it was close enough.

Said boy walked out of the locker room with his uniform on. Immediately, Kira saw the little glare Okita gave to the back of Grayson's head, and waved at him to come closer. Okita and Grayson exchanged glances before he finally said, "I'm so sorry you got put into Spanish Four. Mrs. Krissman is crazy. She probably won't let you try to catch up," with a dash of sympathy.

"It's not so bad," Grayson shrugged, "I think it'll be easy to catch up. Besides, you can help me stay on her good side."

"You think?" He nearly scoffed. "I'm still trying to figure her out, so you're on your own."

Kira jumped in. "Do you two have a class together?"

"Yeah, Spanish." That's when their teacher called everyone together. Kira gave them the thumbs up just before practice began.

Okay, sure she can understand girl rivalry, but these two were ridiculous. It was like both of them dropped books on each other's foot and they still had a grudge since. Was Okita still pissed from their match?

Later in practice, the two didn't have a match together. And both were easily defeating their opponent, even though she couldn't see their faces, she had a hunch they were bored. When practice ended, Kira waited for Okita to change clothes as she helped put away some basketballs a little kid dropped when he crossed through the curtain that split the gym. Placing an armful of basketballs on the rack, she turned and jumped after seeing Okita standing precariously close to her.

"Holy shit―" she was glad the kid had left a few seconds earlier, "don't _do_ that! I nearly _died_ on Saturday."

"Don't even joke with that," he chuckled sadly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The two gazed inside the storage room. Hula-hoops hung from hooks on the wall, with an assortment of balls in the corner. There were a couple colored buckets, and even a couple volleyball net poles inside. It was a mix of an elementary and a high school gym storage room basically.

But what caught her eye was a couple foam swords lying around near a fallen hula-hoop. "Why are there foam swords here?" She asked as she tiptoed through all the stuff and plucked one from the floor. Kira smiled as she playfully jabbed at Okita and he arched a brow with his arms folded. "Aw you're no fun―" that's when his arm shot out and ripped the sword from her grip. Pointing it at her like he was in kendo, she grinned and grabbed another foam sword.

The two made their way out of the storage room before they started the match. "So didn't you say you could beat me with foam swords?"

She blinked, "Maybe. Probably."

"I'm giving you one more chance," he mused.

"Are you kidding me?" She scoffed and took a swipe at him, which was easily deflected. Kira held the sword exactly as she remembered old-Okita told her to and waited for him to attack. Of course, foam swords were flimsy, so when he struck, the swords bent a little. The two laughed and Kira pointed her bend sword towards him. Lunging towards him, he took a step back and blocked and counterattacked. Kira yelped and dodged with a centimeter cap. Giving up somewhat, she blindly jabbed at his abdomen and he swung his sword, knocking it out of her hand. The foam sword fluttered to the floor and Kira rose her arms.

"You were saying?" Okita cocked his head to one side with a victorious grin.

"Oh shut up," she rolled her eyes. "I'm at a disadvantage." She went over to her sword and tried to bend it back to normal. "Two dollars down the drain," she clicked her tongue, but it was more out of playfulness rather than distaste.

"I told you it wouldn't be much of a match," he mused and grabbed both their swords and tossed it in the storage room.

"That wouldn't be the first time," she muttered. "C'mon, ready?"

"Yeah," he scooped up his bag and hefted it over his shoulder. Most of the kendo students had left, so they didn't have to witness that fiasco of a _match_. The two walked out, and as they got to the car, Okita said thoughtfully, "Wanna grab something to eat?"

"Uh, sure, where?" She asked, feeling her heart flutter for a second. Okita shrugged and Kira laughed. "Better hurry up, we're getting closer," she fished out her keys from her hoodie pocket. Cloudy and windy, night seemed to rush out the rest of the daylight as more clouds moved in.

Thumb hovering over the unlock button, she paused mid-step upon seeing something chillingly familiar. There, standing at the front end of her car was a figure dressed in dark clothes and sheer white hair that reflected the light off the light post a few feet away. Instinctively, she grabbed Okita's arm as if the cold managed to permeate her skin and freeze her bones.

"What's up?" He asked, glancing at the man and then at her.

She could feel her heart rise to the back of her throat and she tugged Okita back. "That was…! That was the person I was talking about!" She rasped. As if on cue, the fury picked up its head as if waiting for them and its red eyes glinted devilishly.

"Are you sure?" His voice was uncertain, but he back up along with Kira. The figure lurched forward off the car and slowly shuffled his way towards them. It crouched forward as it let out a low growl, and Kira imagined the one word it would always say. The thing they always craved.

"Blood…"

_No, no, no! _"Shit…" Her voice rose as she spun around, "_Run_!" She cried.

As the two sprinted off, the Rasetsu dashed towards them. Her already frozen feet landed awkwardly with each step as the blood started to run through her body. She didn't dare glance over her shoulder as the two raced across the parking lot dusted in snow. Running past the Belle, they ran across a bridge that led to a garden built around the perimeter of the building. The cold air she was heaving in was freezing her lungs and sent her into a coughing fit by the time they rounded a corner.

Okita hunched over, trying to catch his breath as he wheezed, "What the hell _was_ that thing? Did it...did it say _'_blood'?"

Kira panted and nodded. Over her shoulder she could hear the Rasetsu's maniacal laughter. "We need...we need to keep running, I'll explain later!" If she ever got out of this alive at least.

"_You_ know something about this?!" The fury skidded along the snow-covered pavement and regained traction as he sprinted towards them, showing his canines through an impish grin. The two took off in the opposite direction and ran further into the park. The thought of out running a monster with super human abilities seemed ridiculous, but it was the only thing she had right now.

A blur of motion darted in from the side and suddenly tackled Okita to the ground with a thud. Okita screamed out as he slid across an icy patch with a fury right above him, this one had shorter, white hair. Kira stopped running, bad move there, and screamed out, "Souji!" Before getting the wind knocked out of her and her world sent into spinning and flashing pinwheels. Through blurry eyes, she rammed her hand in the Rasetsu's face, feeling his saliva trail down her palm and down to her arm. He let out a muffled cackle, realizing that he got his prey.

Fear was suddenly kicked out of her mind and she immediately went into survival mode. Kicking her legs frantically, she pressed her other hand on his collar bone and pushed. He swiped desperately at her as he forced his weight down on hers, but that was when she managed to pull up one of her legs and kicked hard on his chest. Super human strength or not, there had to be some limit. The fury stopped his attack when she kicked and when she did it again, his weight on her disappeared as he hacked out whatever meal he had before. Taking that opportunity she kicked even more until he was on his side and she scrambled to her feet.

A hand touched her shoulder and she screamed, whipping around with a fist in the air. The hand closed over her fist and her adrenaline left her vision to let her see clearly for once.

"Grayson?" Sure enough, she was greeted by that same friendly smile, but her fist was still up.

A groan caught her attention, and she turned around to see Okita shove off a knocked out fury.

And the end of his hair slowly transitioned from white to brick red. When Okita looked at Kira, his eyes lowered upon meeting Grayson's smile. The Rasetsu Kira managed to get off slowly started to get up, but Okita's foot came flying into his face and he was out cold with a grotesque crunch.

"What are _you_ doing here?" He scowled at the other male, heaving in a breath.

"I was following it for a while, I figured he would go on another hunt…" he replied coolly, smile gone. Kira shook her head, trying to keep herself from yelling.

"_What is going on?! _You―!" She pointed at Grayson, the one with teeth marks along her palm. "You _know_ about this? And―! Why are _you_ one of _them_?!" She turned to Okita. The two looked away guiltily as she started to run her mouth off. "I thought _I_ only knew about them! Why are they here anyways?!" She groaned and held her head, but quickly pulled her hand away when she felt a sting. Glowering at the small beads of blood forming on her hand, the two males' noses flared. Grayson shoved his hands in his pockets as his voice turned a notch lower. "Mind if you…?"

"O-oh, sorry," she muttered and fished out her gloves. Hopefully that was enough to stop the scent that danced undetected under her nose. Rage simmering, she finished lamely. "Can...can we just talk about this somewhere else? Preferably a _warmer_ place."

* * *

**And here you can see the classic 'Jen-Move' by pulling the typical cliffhanger-ish. I think I'll work on a few chapters during my nights here, but GOD New York is BUSY! The bus basically honked its way to get to our hotel, and upon arrival, I nearly got trampled. But it wasn't so bad, I saw a broadway musical and it was **_**awesome!**_** This is gonna be one busy week...thanks for your reviews for the last chapter, and favorites/follows! **

**I'll be back with the next one.**

**(And question: were your predictions right? xD let me know!)**

**-Jen **


	5. Desynchronized

** Oh dear LORD this chapter has been long overdue. My excuse is at the bottom of the chapter to spare you my list. I am **_**so**_** sorry for the 2 month wait. I hope you guys are still plugged in with this story!**

* * *

CHAPTER 5

Desynchronized

"We need to start from the beginning." Kira ordered after taking a swig of scalding hot cocoa. The guys managed to convince her that driving after all of this wasn't a good idea, so they headed back to the Belle and seated themselves at one of the couches lined up against a wall in one of the halls. The hot cocoa did little to calm her, only to burn her tongue and the roof of her mouth.

Grayson, sitting across from her in an armchair, leaned forward. "You mean when you ripped a hole in the fabric of time?"

The other two stared at him with wide eyes. _What did he just say? _Kira looked confused. "Wait―what?"

"The fabric of _time_? We in some 'Doctor Who' shit or something?" Okita asked, more amused than anything. Grayson didn't seem to get the charm in it.

"Maybe I should just talk to Kira about it then," he replied curtly. Okita rolled his eyes, losing the remaining joy he had.

"Like hell you're leaving me out of this. Things have been getting weird since you got here."

"Guys!" She said quickly. "Just―let him explain. You and I are in the same boat." In which, Okita huffed his disapproval, and leaned back in the couch.

"Ever since you time-traveled, things back in 2015 had been changing. Somehow, sightings of furies, or Rasetsu, have grown at a steady rate. We think that since you arrived at the tipping point of the furies' fates, this is the consequence of your actions in the past."

"But how did you know…?"

"Hey," he held up his hands, "we haven't figured out the concept of time-traveling yet, we're just going on by assumptions and a few...events."

"_We_?"

"D.A.R.A. Division of Analyzing Rasetsu Activity." Okita answered, rather unhappily, "Its base is in Tokyo, but it's become a global thing―under wraps of course. And this guy has been sent by them to 'analyze' the problem or should I say, 'ruin everyday life'."

Grayson narrowed his eyes, lips turned into a half-frown. "Don't give her the wrong impression of us. I've been sent to get to the bottom of this and...hopefully fix it. If I can't, then we know how to manage it."

"Sure," he snorted and nudged Kira's side, "D.A.R.A. is just another corrupt group who 'helps' by screwing people over and 'exterminating' problems they can't fix. We shouldn't even be talking to him, they might have us under surveillance."

"Man, you _really_ want to get on my nerves, do you?" His voice lowered. "I haven't reported anything yet, so if you want little intervention, please try not to burn me at the stake so quickly." Looking at the stony glares from each male, Kira set her cup down and put an arm between the two, like putting a fence in between two dogs.

"Just let him explain, Souji," she admitted, "I actually want to know what the hell is going on."

The two icily broke off their staring competition and Grayson recollected his composure. "Anyways, it all started when one of the elder members of D.A.R.A. started to get strange memories. Everyday there was something new he learned, and time finally caught up to the point where he remembered stories of a pureblood demon who fell to the hands of a samurai and a girl. Clues started to pop up all around, like the sudden population increase of furies around the world, but luckily none of Japan's history had changed. I was then contacted by the American base and was told to find the source, you, and keep an eye on things." He paused. "You're still following, right?"

"Y-yeah," she stammered, "kind of. But this doesn't make any sense! How did you know I was behind _this_?"

"Well, we didn't know it was _you_ specifically. We just knew the traveler was a girl, and we started to notice high migration rates of Rasetsu in the area. This area was starting to become a hub for them, so they sent me here―finding you so quickly was just pure luck, honest!"

"Just _lucky_," Okita scowled.

Kira's stomach had been sent into a spiraling pit. She was fully aware that she was sitting in the presence of _two_ furies, their eyes held an abnormal color and held a dark history of blood and death. She remembered when she was nearly killed off by one of them back in the Edo Period. "So what? Are you gonna pull that thing in the movies where you have to kill me?".

Both looked surprised. "What―no, I'm not going to do that!" Grayson's tone softened, "I would never do that."

"So, Mr. D.A.R.A., what are you gonna do?" Okita asked.

"I'm just here to find the source and protect it, or _you_, in this case." His eyes trailed up to Kira's, in which she quickly looked away. "You're lucky I got here when I did."

Okita interjected, leaning forward, "_We're_ lucky? I think we had the situation under control."

"I'm _also_ talking about Saturday...the driveway?" He motioned with his hands.

"Oh my God, was that _you_?!" Her voice grew, immediately withdrawing into her hot cocoa.

He nodded. "You were the one who saved her?" Okita said curtly. "It would've been nice if you said something earlier."

"Well, I'm sorry, I didn't know how she would react to all of this."

Kira shrugged, taking another sip. "I already went through some crazy stuff, this is just icing on the cake," she muttered bitterly. "But you're not off the hook either!" She pointed accusingly at Okita. "How are you a Rasetsu? You never told me back then―"

"Back when?"

"Back…?" She took a wary glance at Grayson, somewhat expecting him to help her out, but she saw he was as clueless as the other. "You don't…" she said slowly, crestfallen, "you don't remember, do you?"

"Am I part of this crazy story too?"

"Nevermind," she shook her head, "it's nothing."

"What is it?" He pressed, but Grayson was quick to catch on.

"Why don't we just leave things here for now? Let's just cool down from this."

She felt like she could breathe again. Finishing off the rest of her drink, she tossed it in the nearest trash can and got up to her feet. "Y-yeah, I need to sleep on this."

"Oh―! Here," he fished out of his pocket and scratched out a line of numbers from a nearby pen. "Just in case something comes up." He handed her the crumpled paper and she tucked it into her pocket.

"Thanks…" _dear Lord, this feels so awkward. _Turning to Okita, she said, "C'mon, let's get going."

"Aye, aye, captain," he gave her a mock salute. Waving goodbye to Grayson, the two hurriedly got to the car and pulled onto the main road. It was silent for a while, and all she could hear was the hum from her engine.

"So both of you...?"

"Are what? Rasetsu, yeah." Okita flopped back in his seat. "D.A.R.A. is made up of generations of families and friends who were Rasetsu in the past. D.A.R.A. was at the start of formation around the Edo Period, and now it's an international company who keeps people in check." Her palms were sweaty despite the chill that lingered in her car. "So you time-traveled?"

"Y-yeah," she forced out. "It's a crazy story, but I'll tell you when I don't have our lives in my hands." The remainder of the car ride was quiet. After what seemed like eons, they arrived at Okita's house. She threw the car in park, heater running at full blast.

"What the _fuck_ man?!" She blurted at a force so loud that made Okita reel his head back in surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"You!" She pointed, "When were you―where you _born_ with this? Fall into a radioactive waste pool? Why didn't you tell me?!"

Offended, he replied, "Well this isn't something I should announce to the world! I didn't know you would handle it like _this_!" He huffed, "No, I wasn't born with it. Why are you so pissed about it?"

Kira groaned, immediately regretting her outburst. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"Nevermind, I'll tell you later." she clicked the unlock button. "No, no, don't pull that on me." Okita stated stubbornly, pressing the lock button. Kira grimaced. "You'll think I'm weird." She ended lamely. When he didn't respond, she sighed and turned in her seat, facing him. "I traveled to the Edo Period in Japan. I was there when it all started."

"Go on." He pressed.

"And...and I met the Shinsengumi. Did you know they had their own Rasetsu project?" She laughed lightly, but the mood didn't change. "I met you there―the historical Okita Souji. I think you're his reincarnation; you're the exact same! Personality to appearance!"

He sat there, nodding to himself for a moment, making the silence agonizingly long for Kira. "I'm a fury, nothing fazes me. That story sounds normal to me." He grinned, "Is that why you knew so much about me?"

"I swear to God I didn't stalk you, we were really good friends back then! You really liked to mess with Hijikata, steal his haiku books and you loved kendo as much as Saito."

"You actually met the Shinsengumi? Was Hijikata really Demon Vice Commander?"

"Oh yeah," she nodded. "And you guys let me stay in Headquarters...did you know how hard it was to explain wifi and TVs to you guys?"

"So why were you surprised when you found out I was a fury? Wasn't I one back then?"

"No. Or―at least you never told me. You kept that secret well hidden if that were the case. I guess you weren't the mirror image of my Okita."

"_Your_ Okita?" He laughed. Kira pursed her lips and smacked his chest. "We were that close huh? Were we _dating_?"

She laughed, dismissing the thought with a wave of her hand. "You kept on teasing me, but no we weren't a thing." _Sure, why not lie to him? _She thought bitterly. But she wasn't sure how he would react to it if she actually told him about their past love.

"Mm," he put his hands at the back of his head, "weird, I thought we would be." Her heart lurched forward.

"Well, a lot of weird things happened." And that's when Kira launched into storytelling mode. From her arrival, to her encounter with Kazama and then later Maeko, she had him hooked. With a few bits omitted from her adventures, she told it to the best of her ability, since most of it seemed like a fading dream. "And then I woke up."

"Wow." He looked like he was trying to grasp something to say. "Wish I had something like that happen to me."

"No, you don't." He gave her a look, and she quickly added. "―two of you? Wouldn't there be some paradox thing? End of the fabric of time? I dunno," she shrugged, "too many movies." Okita chuckled, but remained quiet afterwards.

"Well," he suddenly said, "I think I should head inside."

"Oh―yeah," she quickly unlocked the car and Okita slid out. She watched him as he opened the back door to haul his things out. The slam of the car door knocked her out of her trance, and he gave her a little wave before he made it to his front door. Taking her eyes off the closed door, she sighed. This was going to bite her in the butt later, she just knew it. Turning on her car, she took a double glance at the house before driving off.

* * *

Kira walked out from practice, dazed and tired. She didn't see much of Grayson, and she didn't have class with Okita today. She was tempted to text either one of them, but she decided to give herself a break from the two. But her little break didn't last long when she saw Okita leaning against the wall. He lifted his eyebrows in acknowledgement just as Kira was pounced on by Bryn.

"Hey!" Kira yelped.

"Sorry," she said with no sincerity, "just wanted to see if you were still alive." Okita walked up to the two, flashing Bryn a grin. "Ahh, you're going with him again, huh?" Her friend mused.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She shrugged her off and readjusted her bag on her shoulder.

"You guys have been hanging out ever since he _got _here."

"There a problem? We're practically best friends now," Okita added, "not trying to replace you or anything."

Another voice popped into the conversation. "Oh, you're leaving again?" Everyone looked at Grayson. Okita didn't hide his displeasure, while Bryn looked at him starstruck. Kira nodded. "I was looking for you," he gestured for her, "can I talk to you for a second?"

Confused, she listened and the two walked off just around the corner. Kira glanced over her shoulder and then asked, "What's up? You could've just texted me?"

He seemed embarrassed, "I just thought it would be easier to tell you in person―I don't want you to misunderstand." Kira arched a brow and nodded for him to continue. "I don't think, _we_ don't think it's a smart idea for you to be wandering around at night...especially when it gets dark at six." He hastened, "I'm not telling you what to do―you can do whatever you want, I'm just saying it's not safe. D.A.R.A. has been giving me more statistics of Rasetsu population growth here, and let's just say it doesn't look good."

"You guys have agents around here or something?"

"Kinda," he shrugged, "not enough to track them. It's required that Rasetsu register in D.A.R.A. and then they get a chip which tracks their moves globally."

"So could you tell me where these guys are so I won't be under house arrest?" She asked jokingly, but it was lost.

"Our system isn't perfect. There _are_ rogues, people who don't register and that's my main concern. I may not be around to help you if you get caught by a rogue or two, and I'll be frank, I don't trust Souji."

She shook her head, frustrated. "What's with you two anyways?"

He paused. "We...grew up together. It's a messy story, I'll promise I'll tell you later, but could you do me a favor? It's not easy doing homework and thinking that you'll get mauled by a fury." His voice softened at the last bit, almost like he was begging with her. She was surprised with his sudden tone and almost complied, but she didn't think Okita would take it well if she suddenly backed out; she was also his ride home.

"So then what about things outside of school? The studio, shopping, errands? Am I restricted to just school and home?" She asked with a fresh wave of stubbornness.

"_Please_ don't be like this. Okay," he held up his hands out of self-defense, "my sister is at your studio, so she can keep an eye on you―"

"Your _sister_ is in on this?"

"Well it's kinda hard to keep family out of _family_ business."

She blinked. "This is _your_ company?!" At this point she was struggling to keep her voice down.

"Directly, no. My uncle owns it, my father is part of the board. Think of it as an inner circle? Point is―"

"You can't just leave it off there! Who knows, you might be connected to the President or the CIA or something!" She was starting to feel a bit betrayed, though she didn't know why. It wasn't her right to snoop around in his business, and to be honest, she didn't tell her entire story either.

Grayson sighed, looking tired. "This about _you_! Look, I'm just saying I don't want you outside alone, at night for the most part. Furies don't roam as much during the day, you know that. Just call me or something before you go out."

"So what about going with Souji? You'll be at practice anyways."

"That...that's fine. See, this is why I wanted to tell you upfront instead...you might've taken it the wrong way."

"What makes you think I'm not taking it wrong now?"

"Well you're still talking to me," he finished with a shy grin. Kira groaned and good heartedly slapped his arm. The two returned with Okita and Bryn claiming a bench laughing about something. Bryn's smile widened when she saw her friend. "Is the official meeting done?"

"Whatever _official_ means, yeah." Kira shrugged.

"Cool beans," she said as she pulled out her phone. "SHIT!" She screeched and shot up to her feet.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot I needed to pick up Montie! Fuck, his school ended ten minutes ago! I gotta go! See ya tomorrow," she said before she less than gracefully darted down the halls with the sound of rattling keys in her hand. Montie was her little brother, he just started seventh grade.

"Well isn't she a ball of energy?" Okita commented. "Ready?" He asked Kira, intentionally ignoring Grayson.

"Mhmm," she pulled out her hoodie from her bag and slipped it on, followed by her keys. She looked at Grayson, "Guess I'll see you there." He nodded, muttering 'okay' before heading down the hall where Bryn was going.

* * *

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Okita groaned. "He's already giving you a curfew? Just stop talking to the ass." The second they got in he car, he asked why Grayson pulled her over, something Kira knew was inevitable.

"He didn't give me a curfew! He just said it's not safe for me to be out at night." She thought Okita's outburst was uncalled for, sure she was a bit ticked after hearing what Grayson had to say, but it made sense. "I mean think about it, he said that more of them are coming here, and that's a higher chance of me getting my head ripped off."

He sighed, walking back down from his rage. "Does he think I'm invisible? You'll be fine with me."

"Oh, so you want to be my knight in shining armor?" She joked, dismissing the butterflies in her stomach.

"Whatever you say, princess." He chuckled. It was weird, it was like her old Okita was becoming more and more prominent. "So what are you gonna do about him?"

_I could at least leave him with his head on his shoulders. _"I can tell him where I'm going at night. I don't need him to babysit me during the day."

They got to the Belle and kendo practice went by quickly, though she could see the tension between Okita and Grayson growing with each minute. It was when they were sparring with each other did the tension fuel their strength and energy. They were duking it out from start to finish and it ended in a draw with both of them sweating and panting like they ran a marathon.

Kira forgot to pack a few snacks for dance, and her hunger finally made her get up and get some cookies from the vending machine. Junk 1, healthy 0. Just as she opened the bag, Grayson caught her by the arm. She yelped and nearly dropped her snack.

"God, there you are!" He huffed, "Quick, something happened."

* * *

**Words can't described how honored I am to still get reviews from you guys, even after I stopped updating for eons! I can't believe my stories are still being recognized. That's amazing! First of all, I want everyone to thank Clau, one of the guest reviewers, because when that review popped in my email, I realized that I still had unfinished business with this story. I couldn't just leave this story wide open, and I needed to at least add **_**something**_**. I cracked open my dusty laptop and typed away at this beast of a chapter (I was kinda suffering from writer's block) **

**Clau: thank you so SO much for that review, it was kind of a drop kick for me to get on with this chapter. **

**An update with my life: I just started college and it's better than high school! Well, I probably jinxed it, but right now it just takes the cake. Though I need to keep up with biology and stats because my future career depends on my bio and stats is just a freaking messy road down memory lane. Now I can't give you guys false hope, I can only say I can update when I can, or when I feel inspired, like what happened just now. **

**Oh by the way, stay away from relationships while you can. They're overrated. Boys are weird. **

**See ya with the next one.**

**-Jen**


	6. Another Player Enters the Field

**Pretty fast update! Thanks for your reviews!**

* * *

CHAPTER 6

Another Player Enters the Field

"What―what's going on?" She asked, her curiosity piqued. When Grayson didn't reply, she asked again, worried, "What happened?

He didn't let go of her arm as he led her down the hall and around the corner near the emergency exit doors. "It's nothing _bad_," he said, "I just needed to find you."

Upon arrival, Kira spotted Okita hunched over on a bench sitting parallel to the boy's locker room door, holding his side tenderly. He winced as he leaned against the wall, lifting his shirt to reveal a nasty purple and red bruise that adorned his side. He looked like in pain every time he took in a breath, and his bruise grew alarmingly fast.

"What happened?! Are you okay?" Kira exclaimed, pulling herself from Grayson's grip and rushing up to Okita. She crouched down to examine the bruise, and Okita groaned, dropping the hem of his shirt. "Geeze," he sighed, "she doesn't need another panic attack."

"I'm just fine," she rasped. "Did a brick smash into your side or something?" She turned around, "Did you guys spar again?"

"He wishes he could hit me once." Okita grimaced, earning a scowl from the other. "I'm fine―ow, _fuck_―just a punch."

"A _punch_?" She looked at Grayson for further detail.

"A superhuman punch, plus a sword." He replied. Kira nodded, but it raised her concern a few notches. "When? Does he need to go to the hospital?"

"I'm _fine_," Okita said with an irritated growl, "it happened just when practice ended. I was heading off to change and I took off my armor. And then this fucking guy comes in and is swinging a sword around and," he pointed angrily at his wound, "this happened. Knew the second he was another fury by the strength."

"There's _another_ fury now?" Her stomach dropped. "Did he do that on purpose?"

"He wouldn't have cracked a rib if he knew I were human." He said bitterly, "Yes, he did it on purpose."

"He what?!" She screamed.

"Kira, it's okay!" Grayson assured.

"_Okay_?! He has a cracked rib and a bruise that's the size of my fist!"

Okita lifted his shirt, pulling her closer, "Furies have a fast healing rate. Look," he said and she watched with a mix of fascination and confusion as the deep purple started to fade to a light pink mixed with the sound of something crackle with growth. She shivered at the thought of his rib reforming and mending without any type of painkiller.

She groaned, putting a hand to her forehead. "Okay, um―that's new." She sat down on the bench, holding her head with both her hands. "Since when was that possible?!"

"Since...forever?" Okita laughed nervously, "I thought you would've known since you lived with a bunch of furies."

Shaking her head, she gave him a 'what-the-heck-are-you-talking-about' look. "I was attacked by them on a weekly basis, I didn't want to stick around to see if they would _rise from the grave_." She deadpanned.

Grayson looked apologetic. "Sorry, I didn't know you had no idea about that. We just needed to find you, now that we knew there was another fury walking around."

She looked up at him. "Is he a rogue?"

"No, he's registered. I couldn't check up on my phone to see if there was more activity. But now we know."

"So what does he have against you?" She stared at his healing bruise a bit longer before he put down his shirt. Okita sighed, "Nothing personal...it's just that furies don't get along very well with others. Unless if they're both driven by bloodlust."

"Modern furies are...more territorial? They like to show dominance―the ones you met back in the past were under control, for the most part. Over the generations, they became self-aware and started acting of their own free will, and they don't take kindly to others." Grayson explained.

"Sounds like a bunch of wolves." She chuckled.

"Might as well be, only we go crazy at the taste of blood or the lack of control. We just don't turn into dogs." She wasn't sure if he was trying to be funny, so she just let the words float around before it sunk into silence. Okita looked up, signs of pain removed from his face. "You okay?"

Nodding, she leaned against the wall, cookies forgotten in the pocket of her hoodie. "There's so many things I don't know, and I thought I was ahead of you two!" She groaned, "You're gonna give me a heart-attack eventually." After a few minutes of calming down, they decided to leave once Grayson confirmed that the fury had left. As they left, Kira somewhat sandwiched herself in between the two due to yesterday's little event. She understood Grayson's concern, after finding out a few more furies managed to breeze into town, and they weren't leaving any time soon. The reason why she was a big magnet to them was still unclear, but she had a feeling that the past would catch up with the present and a reason would show itself soon.

"Please be careful." Grayson said before he drove off. When the two got in the car, Okita went on ahead and complained about him for a few minutes. Kira realized that neither of them would tell her this infamous story until later―but it was eating away at her. He was about to say something else, but her phone rang. She jumped, and fished it out from her pocket, turning on the car in the process. "Hello?" She asked, sending the heater on at full blast.

"Too lazy to text back?" It was Casy.

"I didn't get any text?" She responded, curious to check her messages. Maybe the Belle blocked out the signal.

"Oh, well, the ice skating rink just opened in Angelstown. Bryn just _insisted_ we all go, they just put up the Christmas tree and everything."

Knowing Bryn, it must've been a plot to get away from her family. People could only handle Montie for so long before going crazy. "Ahh, what time?" She looked at Okita, who shrugged.

"Six? Did you get back from Souji and Grayson's kendo practice?"

"Just got in the car." In which Okita proceeded to muse, "Hi Kira's friend!" Kira grinned and shoved him away. She thought for a moment, and then said, "Well, I'll call you later. I cherish my life, considering the last time I talked and drove."

"Oh yeah―" she snickered, "we don't want a dead Kira. Mmkay, bye." And then she hung up. Kira started driving and that's when the heater started to kick in.

Okita broke the silence: "Making plans in front of me?" He joked.

"That's why I hung up, silly. And because I'm not good at multitasking." She glanced at him, who was wearing a disapproving look. "What?" She asked.

"We were attacked yesterday, and I got basically beaten up by another fury today and you, who's some sort of fury magnet, want to _go ice skating_? You need to think about that."

"Careful, you sound like Grayson." She warned. "I never _agreed_ to it! Besides, if I _did_ go, I would be around lots of people. It's not like I can get singled out at a _public_ place."

He paused, probably not liking the sound of him becoming another Grayson, "I'm just saying! I won't be your babysitter like him, just―I don't know―tell me where you are so if you _do_ get attacked, I can come help or something."

A bit annoyed, she laughed curtly, "You sound like I'm completely helpless. I survived in a building full of them!"

"Those were first generation furies―he's right, today's furies are stronger and smarter. They―_we_ know how to blend in with humans."

Kira rolled her eyes. Definitely not her old Okita. When she got to his house, they exchanged goodbyes and she left. On her way home, she was deciding whether to throw a fit and go against both Okita and Grayson's wishes, or be sensible and keep her life safe by not going. Stubbornness got the best of her though when she called Casy back saying, "Might as well pick me up now, rush hour is in an hour.

* * *

"Oh _god_ the last time I stepped on ice was eons ago." Casy said, tentatively stepping on the freshly glossed ice. Bryn groaned and playfully shoved her friend, the latter yelped and stumbled for her balance as she started skating forward a few feet. She glared at her. "Don't _do_ that!"

She stuck her tongue out at her and simply got on the ice, looping around her. She took ice skating lessons a few months back when Kira was in her coma apparently. Kira tightened her laces and wobbly got on the ice. She ice skated before, but it had been so long. She hurried at a decent pace so she wouldn't fall over herself, and caught up to her friends.

The ice rink was a huge thing and it got bigger and bigger over the years, size and population. It took place in the center of Angelstown, with a huge Christmas tree that towered over the surrounding buildings. Lights were strung from the edges of the buildings to the tip of the tree, and it changed colors and lighting sequences with every song that played.

Their small group didn't stay together, as Bryn went on ahead, weaving through people with ease as the other two struggled to keep up, Casy doing worse than Kira. Kira nearly bulldozed over a kid, who was shuffling awkwardly on the ice, just before their parent came by and scooped them up before the stampede of skates came.

In the end, she was glad she took matters into her own hands and decided to come with them. For the past couple of days, she forgot how to relax and have a normal day. Though the lingering thought of at least telling one of the two where she was had been tapping her shoulder for a while.

"Slow poke!" Bryn's voice chimed in as she passed her, leaving a gust of cold wind in her wake.

"Shut up!" She called after her, but she looped around the Christmas tree before she could hear. After who knows how long of skating, her ankles started to grow tender. This is what she hated about rental skates, they started poking and prodding at your feet to the point where you walked away with a couple bruises. Cruising to a stop, she held onto a wall as she readjusted the skates, trying to room out the boot so her ankles wouldn't be crying out. Scrunching her toes, she shook her feet a bit. Bryn managed to show a couple of tricks she learned from skating lessons, with Casy finally getting the hang of making even strides and stopping without the help of running into a wall.

Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out, swiping the frigid screen. Apparently she got a few texts from Okita asking if she were dead, if she was okay, and more questions about her whereabouts, in moderation at least. Kira took the liberty of taking a picture of the Christmas tree to offer as proof, since she had a feeling a text wouldn't sedate his worry. She also got a text from Grayson. It was mostly filling her in on more tracking updates and a question of what she was doing. She replied with 'skating rink in Angelstown' and shoved her phone in her pocket again.

Casy managed to find her, her cheeks were pink and heat was radiating from her body. Again, hours of skating. "Is it me, or are these things killing you two?" She gingerly picked up her foot.

"Same." She spotted Bryn coming around the tree, approaching them. Being greeted by a snow plow, Kira eyed Bryn's fairly used skates. These were the nice, cream colored ones compared to the hockey-skate boot rentals everyone else used. "Nice to see you two." She said.

Bryn flashed her a grin as she took off a scarf and rolled it into a ball. "I wish the lake would be frozen over; more space!"

"And a higher chance of getting _hypothermia_!" Casy huffed. "Frozen lakes are shady. What happens if you fall through some thin ice?!"

"They test the thickness of the ice before people can go on!" She wheedled. "Besides, you can skate without stopping."

"You can be the test dummy, and then we'll join," Kira laughed, patting her friend's head. "Can we go inside somewhere? My nose is frozen." She said as she poked it.

"Yeah," her friend nodded and the three skated off to the exit. Kira's legs wobbled at the sudden friction when she stepped onto the rubber mats. Taking off her skates at a bench, her feet rejoiced as she put on her boots. She checked her ankles just before she put on her boots and sure enough, one small bruise dotted each ankle. Maybe next time she would get her own pair. They returned the skates and quickly found a café besides a closed office building. They claimed a spot near a roaring fireplace before their orders were ready.

The hot beverage immediately thawed out her insides and hands as she took a couple sips. It seemed everyone from Angelstown and nearby towns was here. The skating rink started to get awfully crowded when they left, and the café was pretty busy as they got inside.

"So how goes the boy-hunt?" Bryn asked nonchalantly, taking a sip of her drink.

Kira coughed, "Excuse me?"

"The boy-hunt," Casy explained, "Souji and Grayson. You hang out with them a lot. Can't have just one, huh?" She smirked.

Her face colored, "What―no! You guys!"

"And what's the deal with them? They hate each other's guts."

She shrugged, shaking her head. "I'm as lost as you are. They apparently grew up together? I don't know, they didn't tell me."

"Boys are weird," Byrn finally added. After a few minutes of talking, they finally warmed up to the point where they could survive another ten minutes in the frigid weather as they tried to find their car. The wind howled loudly as it went through the parking structure they were in, making Kira wish she brought a hat or earmuffs; her ears were freezing. They were on the third floor after failing to find the car on the second floor, which Bryn insisted that's where they left the car.

Casy's car alarm went off shortly upon arrival, earning an 'I-told-you-so-look' from Casy to Byrn. The three froze.

On the back of the car was a man, watching them with dark eyes. But those dark eyes held something familiar to Kira, and her stomach sunk. The three stood close together, not moving from their spot as they whispered amongst each other.

"Creeper on the car? What do we do?" Casy hissed.

"Walk away and come back later?" Kira asked, frantic. "The café isn't too far from here."

"There's three of us, I'm pretty sure he'll leave once he realizes it's our car." Byrn said, glancing warily at the man. Casy shook her head stubbornly. "And get possibly stabbed? Forget it!"

The man got off the car's trunk and started walking towards them. "Hey, you." He rasped.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" Byrn was borderline on hysterics as he got closer. Kira shrunk away as her eyes locked with his, and Casy had her keys in between her knuckles. "Can I talk to you for a second?" His question targeted Kira.

"Like hell she will!" Byrn barked and darted away from the man, and the two girls followed with him in pursuit. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" The three fled to the stairwell. Kira wished she could just drop down to the first floor; her legs were still frozen and refused to go any faster down the stairs. The clatter of heavier footsteps resonated behind her made her heart race just as they made it to the second landing.

She yelped as she felt a hand yank her back by her arm and her two friends spun around with horror etched on their faces. "Let go of her!" Casy yelled as she grabbed onto her other arm. Byrn rushed up the steps and sent a kick to his crotch. He groaned as he immediately let go of Kira, the two girls held onto each other. The man, however, recovered quickly and angrily punched Byrn square in the face. She was knocked off her feet and fell over, back hitting the wall. She slid to the floor, unmoving. The girls screamed.

"Byrn! Bryn! Oh god!" Casy cried out.

The second floor door swung open and a girl with brown hair sent a punch to the man's face; her wrist was decorated with multiple silver bracelets, some with spikes on them. The man yowled in pain and held his face as he staggered back. She sent a kick to his face and he was sent tumbling down the stairs. Kira and Casy were lucky to have been standing against the wall. Both unable to speak because of shock, they look up at their hero, who was hefting Bryn's limp arm over her shoulder. "Where's your car? We need to hurry."

"Th...third…" Casy weakly pointed up. As they made it up the stairs, something in Kira's brain sparked.

"Maya?!"

She paused momentarily before continuing walking. "Explanations later," she huffed, "where's the car?" Casy fumbled with her fob and spam pressed the unlock button. The sound of a car unlocking came just a few feet away. "Mind me driving? You two aren't in the best shape of driving in all honesty." Casy nodded and handed her the keys.

They all piled in, with Casy and Byrn in the back, Kira on the passenger's side. As the car started to back out, Casy was the one to exclaim, "What the hell is going on?! We―what the _fuck_? He just―oh god." Her voice fell as she gazed at a nasty bruise blossoming on her right cheek. "Hey, can you hear me? Byrn! We need to take her to the hospital!"

"Too risky," Maya said as they zoomed down the ramps. "I'll take you guys to my place, it's safe."

"What?" She gave Kira a look. "Why are you so calm about this?!"

Kira grimaced. "I kinda knew about this? Ah―okay um, it's a really long story." And then Kira gave her the entire story. Though it was hard to tell when her friend had a question every other sentence. Skirting around her relationships, she gave the story of what happened in Japan up to the events of today. The car fell silent as the two up front awaited a barrage of questions.

"So that guy is a...a fury?" Kira made it official in calling them 'furies' instead of Rasetsu since it was easier to say. The two girls nodded. "And why was he after us? He could've have smelled our blood!"

"He's more after Kira. We don't know why, but she's becoming a magnet for the furies. I think it's because she did something in the past, but...we aren't sure!" Maya explained.

"Why didn't you tell me?" It was more of an accusation than a question, and Kira stumbled to get her words together.

"What?" She spluttered, "That's _exactly_ why I didn't tell you! It sounds so crazy! You'll think I'm crazy! If I told you this before, you wouldn't have believed me!"

"But!" Casy groaned with an irritated look, "Sorry, I'm still trying to get around this. What about Bryn?" Her friend's head was nestled on her lap, hair brushed away from her face, still knocked out.

"We have something at home for that, the bruise I mean. It's up to you if you want to tell her everything and drag another person in this mess. She probably won't remember even being punched."

Kira and Casy both looked at each other, with Casy invisibly giving Kira the master keys to the situation. In honesty, Kira didn't think it was her right to tell _another_ person about this. She could barely imagine how Grayson and Okita would react to the fact that she told Casy about it, but it wasn't like they could wipe her memory or anything. She shrugged at her friend, genuinely unsure of what the next step was.

A dawn of realization, mixed with horror, struck Casy's face. "How are we going to explain Bryn's face tomorrow to her parents?"

"Uhh, say she fell?" Kira proposed, though it seemed like the dumbest excuse on the planet. Casy's face of disapproval and Maya's snort proved her point. "Okay, how about a fight broke out and she got in the way!"

"Well, you're not _lying_ when you say that." Maya offered as they pulled off the main road and into a subdivision. Casy nodded and looked at her phone, "Hopefully she'll wake up by ten, her parents want her home by then." It read 8:50 on the car's clock.

They arrived at a fairly large colonial with snow heavily decorating the large oak tree standing out front. The garage lights flicked on as they pulled into the driveway and the door opened once she took out a door opener from Maya's pocket. The three got out of the car and carried, mostly dragged, Bryn into the house.

Four people in a narrow hall made it impossible to move, so they had to awkwardly shimmy down the hall with an unconscious girl in tow. In the lit kitchen sat Grayson at the breakfast bar. He looked up and got up to his feet, quickly shooing the girls off and easily carried Bryn to a couch. After he set her down, he folded his arms at Kira.

"What?" She asked.

"I thought you said you would tell me where you would go." He said, irritated with a mix of worry.

"I did!"

"Tell me _before_ you go! You're lucky Maya was there with her friends at the time, or else that bruise could've turned into something worse." He sighed and his tone softened, "Do you understand now? This is very serious."

She will admit, this was awfully uncomfortable. It was worse than being scolded by her own father. Nodding, she looked at Bryn's sleeping form apologetically. "Is she going to be alright?"

"She was lucky to just get _that_." Maya commented from the kitchen, coming out with a bag of frozen peas and holding it next to Bryn's bruise. Grayson then looked at Casy. "Did you tell her everything?"

"I kinda had to, it's hard to make things up after being assaulted by a fury." Kira defended. "She's good at keeping secrets though!"

"I swear to god I won't tell a soul," Casy added, "I never thought monsters were real―sorry, not the best word...furies was it?"

Grayson to say the least wasn't happy, but he wasn't mad. He shook his head, "No, it's fine. Some of us are, the ones who can't control themselves." He put his hands in his pocket, figuring out what to say. "Though I'll need to report this to D.A.R.A. Once a civilian is Aware, there's more precautions that need to be taken. Kira is alright because she's been a part of this, but since you just got caught up, you need to be aware that if you slip our secret, you will endanger us all."

"No pressure or anything." Casy shrunk back, immediately looking away from him.

"Sorry, I hate being serious, but it's true! The furies won't go after you; we know for a fact that they're interested in Kira, but please be aware that you aren't always walking with humans."

"So what about her?" Maya gestured to Bryn, who was stirring in her sleep. The icy bag was probably waking her.

Kira arched a brow. "Should we keep her out of it?"

"We should tell Souji, it's the least we can do before we make a decision." He finally said.

* * *

**The muses were with me today. I typed up this chapter in a matter of hours, and sorry if there wasn't that much Okita x Kira...I think the ship name is Okira? Sure, let's go with that. Doesn't seem like an Okira story right now does it? Heh, I stumbled into a very interesting plot! So, what do you think guys? Get Bryn in the loop or not? Let me know in your reviews! See you in the next one, hopefully soon!**

**-Jen**


	7. Just a Touch

**I seriously need to take a nap. Took me two days to type this chapter, but it took forever for me to start it. Thanks for your reviews!**

* * *

CHAPTER 7

Just a Touch

Grayson pulled Kira into the kitchen. He folded his arms at her, his frustrations resurfacing. "Really? You just _had_ to be stubborn." It was weird to see him like this. "You risked you and your friends' lives!"

Not liked being scolded, Kira bit back. "I don't want to be under house arrest! At least I wasn't alone!"

He groaned, reeling his head back as he collected his thoughts. "You're missing the point! I asked you to just tell me where you were! Sure, you did _at the last minute_. And bringing more people into this will only make things trickier! How can you be so sure you can trust them? And now we have to tell Souji."

"Excuse me?" She hissed. "I've known those two ever since I was little, I'm pretty sure they can keep a secret! And _you_ were the one who said he deserved to know!"

Letting out a breath, he shook his head, admitting defeat. "Yeah, yeah, just text him to get over here."

It took five minutes to carefully explain what happened to Okita over text, and it took him two minutes to get to Grayson's, nearly bounding through the front door. Kira had a feeling that he went fury-mode and ran. He certainly wasn't too happy when he saw the two in the kitchen, Grayson standing close to Kira. Through the dull light from a nearby lamp, she could see the ends of his hair turn from silver to light brown.

"Way to keep me out of the loop." He grunted as he gave Kira a look. She held her hands up in defense. "We just escaped with our lives, give me a break!" She was getting tired of this.

"You could've just stayed home!" He exclaimed.

Maya called out, "Hey! At least she's telling you _now_." She muttered to herself, "I need to lock that front door…" Okita cut off his icy stare with Kira and then looked at Grayson.

The other male arched a brow, "What?"

"Were you with them when that happened?" He gestured to Bryn, still knocked out on the couch.

"No. Kira doesn't tell _me_ everything either." By then she was getting cold gazes from both guys. She furrowed her brows and finally told them the entire story. The two's expressions softened slightly, but she could tell they were still annoyed with her.

"So now she knows too." Okita finally said. Casy looked up. "I said I promise I won't say anything. But...what about Bryn?"

"You want _more_ people in on this?" He asked Grayson.

"Well we can't exactly _lie_ to her. That adds more problems." He admitted, although he didn't seem too crazy about the idea.

Meanwhile in Kira's brain, everything was a mess. At first she was so sure that her reasons would justify what she did, but after facing the two, she wasn't certain anymore. It was obvious they cared about her, but she didn't want that to control her life. Sure, she survived Edo, but technically that was because she had a bunch of people protecting her. And now she felt guilty for dragging her friends in on this. Were they going to be targeted too? What happens if they get attacked again?

She didn't even want to get started on what the media would concoct out of this. The fury was certainly knocked out cold thanks to Maya. Man assaulted in stairwell? Something would come up by tomorrow that's for sure.

_Ugh! What's wrong with me? _Kira didn't have time to recede further into her mind as a groan came from the couch. The room went still as Bryn scrunched up her face and blinked a few times. A hand went to rub her eye, but she yelped in pain and took her hand back. Fingers gingerly touching the bruise, she slowly pushed herself up with the help of Maya. "What happened?" Her voice sounded distant. And then a bit clearer. "I have the biggest headache…"

Casy tried to add humor to her relief, "Wakey wakey, sleeping beauty. We uh…" she looked at the other three for help. "Need to tell you something."

It seemed like it was Story Telling with Kira-day since she was automatically picked to explain what happened. First she showed the shiner Bryn got, and she looked ready to go for a rematch, but was quickly shot down. More questions lead to another as Kira finally got to her original story with the Edo Period and her time travel. She felt like she needed a glass of water after explaining for a solid hour.

Apparently Bryn laughed everything off at the end, claiming that they were all screwing with her, or this was some sort of dream. "Nice try. I appreciate the story though, really creative; I give you ten points."

"You two, show her." Maya piped up.

The two guys looked at each other, but Grayson replied, "I'll do it. I have better control over it than you do." Okita raised his eyebrows, ticked. He didn't say anything though and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Grayson narrowed his eyes as a mysterious blue flame sparked near his foot. It flickered before it race around him in a circle before ribbons of blue fire flew from the ground. Bryn's eyes widened. "What―what's going on?!"

The ends of his hair turned to a silvery white, his eyes flashed a brilliant gold...and horns protruded from his forehead. It took a while for Kira to process it; he was a _pureblood_? She tried not to look as surprised as her friends.

The flames evaporated and left him in his final form. He didn't seem bothered by the stares he was getting, but he somewhat avoided Kira's gaze. Bryn stared in disbelief, Casy in shock, and Okita unimpressed.

"Okay...okay, okay." Bryn flopped back on the couch, covering her face gingerly with her hands. "Wow."

Maya was silent for a moment, and then said, "You should've done that _before_ she told the story." She earned a glare from Grayson. His piercing gold eyes gave him an even bigger aura of danger. Kira could sense Maya's slight uneasiness. Heck, _she_ was getting a little nervous the more she realized the extra power Grayson had inside. Purebloods were creatures she didn't want to mess with especially...considering everything that happened to her.

"Get an eye full?" He asked Bryn. She nodded and he fluidly shifted back to his human form.

"So that was the thing that attacked us?" She asked, voice muffled by her hands.

"Not quite, but yeah. A fury."

Sitting up, she pointed at the two guys. "Both of you are…"

"Yep. And there's more of us coming." Okita finished.

She didn't like how he was making it sound like some sort of war. She went through one a few months ago, and she wasn't so sure if she was ready for _another_ one...considering how bad it would get in a matter of hours. Everything was getting so complex.

Her relationships with everyone were overlapping each other, knotting up in the center of the web. The two guys were obviously connected somehow, something she had yet to figure out, and they were connected to her. Casy and Bryn were dropped in the middle of the mess and were now relying heavily off of her to explain what was going on, since they seemed tense around the guys after discovering their dark secret. And then there was Maya...all she knew was that she was the sister. No known powers...but she could kick butt.

Maya found herself bored of the conversation and dismissed herself to her room, punching her brother playfully on the shoulder before she trudged upstairs, leaving the five in the living room.

Bryn was told the plan for tomorrow, and she was more than happy to go along with it...hopefully her parents wouldn't be too shocked to see her walk through the door with a bruise covering half of her face.

"I think we should call it a night." Grayson suggested, noting the dazed looks on both girls. "It's been a long day…"

"Way ahead of you." Byrn nodded as she stood up. Casy took out her keys, and Kira gave her a look. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Casy replied with a small grin. "My brain's been screwed with, but I'm fine." Grayson followed them out, including Okita. As Kira ducked behind his arm, which was holding the door open, he stopped her. "Please for the love of god, text me when you get home. _Please_."

She nodded, wondering if she should say something else. Apologize maybe? "See you tomorrow." He gave her a small smile and eyed Okita.

He simply brushed past him and bumped into Kira, silently telling her to move along. Kira gave Grayson a shrug and went to the car. Okita asked for a car ride home, Casy, albeit hesitant, agreed. The car ride was silent.

* * *

The next day, Kira walked up to a table with Bryn wearing a smug grin and a few extra friends listening to the big story of last night. It was nice to see how well her friends adjusted to their new discovery, but the long-simmered anger she had towards Okita and Grayson had turned into a dull throb of guilt.

In speaking of Okita and Grayson...she didn't see Grayson at the table―not that she expected him to drop by every morning or anything. She texted him when she got home, and she got no response. Maybe it was payback for how she was treating him the past few days.

Okita would be someone she would _definitely_ see today. She had English with him. Sure enough, she found him sitting in his usual spot, and he greeted her with a wave. A few minutes after the bell rang, their class migrated to the library to fill out some survey in the computer lab. The day she wanted to just _talk_ and she couldn't until after she finished the survey. Her teacher said they could just hang in the library for the rest of class when they were done.

When the two finished, they found themselves wandering through the tall bookcases. A middle aged woman had her glasses perched on her nose as she was putting books away in one of the aisles.

"I'm sorry." She finally said.

Okita casually looked through the rows of books and stared at the titles on the spines. "For what?"

"Last night," she added, "it was really stupid of me."

He feigned confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Making a frustrated noise, she yanked him back by his backpack. "You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about. I totally understand why you're pissed, but be at least more mature than _me_!" It was hard to keep her voice quiet. She collected her thoughts and continued softly, "I should've just told you where I was going."

Okita looked at her, torn. "It wouldn't've hurt to just tell me _before_ you got there."

"So…" she paused, "are you mad about my friends knowing?"

He sighed. "I think humans should be Aware rather than our existence being a secret. It makes things easier; we won't have to lie all the time." Okita paused. "How's your friend?"

"Oh, Bryn? She's taking advantage of the glory. Did you hear anything on the news?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. He must've left before anyone else showed. I'm kinda glad; one less thing to worry about."

One less thing to worry about was right. If the media jumped in on this, who knows what could happen in the future...not that she knew what was going to happen anyways. She hated keeping secrets, and this one especially she had to tiptoe around and try to not hurt anyone's feelings; obviously failing.

Casy wasn't mad at Kira for keeping her secret. She texted her when Kira was about to go to bed the other night, encouraging her that she did the right thing in not telling them first thing. She didn't want to endanger them so quickly, and Casy understood that. Thank god for Casy.

Her friend then went off and tried to educate herself with furies, but found nothing...probably thanks to D.A.R.A.'s expertise in destroying evidence over the years. Kira had given her all the knowledge she had about furies to Casy, who seemed to get more and more excited about it with each question.

The trick was to keep everyone safe.

"Are you listening?" Okita's question brought her back from meandering too far in her thoughts.

"No," she admitted. "sorry; was thinking about stuff." Okita continued where he left off and burned up ten more minutes. His bitterness towards her had tapered, and she thought it was safe to say he forgave her. Getting hungry, Kira decided to go to the vending machine sitting outside the library doors. Fishing out her wallet, she looked at her options and went with a bag of chips. Fumbling around to find a quarters, she accidentally let a nickel slip from her fingers and it made a small _cling!_ on the tiled floors before clattering on a face side. "Crap, could you pick that up?" She asked. Her arm was holding a water bottle against her side and the other her backpack.

Okita bent down and plucked the nickel off the floor, immediately jerking his hand back and letting it fall to the floor again. She looked at him strangely as he stood back up, shoving his hand into his pocket. "Here, I can put the quarters in for you, you get the nickel."

She pursed her lips, confused why he was being so childish now. "You just had it!" She exclaimed as she put her coins in the slot, punching in the numbers. As the bag was slowly being released, she watched him as he hesitantly reached for the nickel again, this time with his hand covered by his jacket sleeve.

She scooped the nickel off the floor before he could reach and she examined the coin. It glinted at her as she moved it around. "What, you can't touch nickels?"

He instinctively looked away. "Certain _types_, yes."

"What, like silver―you can't touch silver." She stated; realization dawned on her. "How? Why didn't you tell me this?" She grabbed his covered hand and examined the small burn on his index finger and thumb.

"...you can get your food now." He said, jerking his hand back. She gave him a surprised look and snatched her food from the machine, putting the bag and wallet back. "When was this?! The silver thing!"

"I dunno, ever since the beginning?" He scowled. "I thought you already knew, since you lived with a bunch of us before. Aren't you supposed to be an _expert_?"

She glared at him, not liking his sudden change in tone. "Why are you getting so mad? I never said I was an expert! They...they must've figured that out until after I left! Maybe you or Grayson could've told me something so I could protect myself! Last night, for example!"

"Should I just give you a list of all my weaknesses while I'm at it then?" He snapped.

She groaned, rolling her eyes. "So all furies don't like silver."

"Yes," he huffed. "If it wasn't obvious enough for you." She realized that the bracelet Maya wore was silver...or it looked like it at least. That was why the fury was easily knocked down, not because of her strength, but the silver. "It's like a werewolf thing I guess. It also slows down our healing rate to a human's." He explained, trying to calm down.

"Maybe I should just wear a silver necklace or bracelet then everywhere I go. That'll give you two _some_ relief." She made a mental note to tell her friends too.

"You don't have to wear any silver around me. I won't do anything." Okita's voice lowered.

She hated this. Both of them, both guys, would get so worked up about whatever she had to say, and then they go on like she plunged a knife into their backs...might as well be silver. Okita was being strange, and she hated this feeling of not being able to read him like her old Okita. Old Okita kept on flirting and making jokes with her, and this one…this one rarely flirted and seemed so tense about everything.

"Does that apply for purebloods too?"

"As far as I know. Try poking his arm with a silver spoon and see what happens."

Kira's phone went off, making her gasp with surprise. She must've forgotten to put it on silent. She took out her phone, realizing Grayson finally texted her back. "Mr. D.A.R.A., huh?" Okita inquired.

"Seriously, what's with you two?" She asked absentmindedly as she read his text:

_Hey, sorry for not responding. Had to tell dara about what happened last night. They had some people check out the scene and now one agent is keeping an eye on his movements. They haven't said anything about casy n bryn so I think we'll be fine for now...please...just tell me where you're going now xD _

She lowered her phone and looked up at Okita, giving him a half smile. "His higher ups haven't said anything about Casy and Bryn, and they're keeping an eye on the fury from last night. The world hasn't exploded yet, Souji."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You _obviously_ don't like D.A.R.A.. What did they ever do to you?"

He stood there, face guarded. "I promise I'll tell you later." She looked at him and finally dismissed the subject. She shot Grayson back a response and put her phone aside. "Sorry...it's been a long week." She said lamely.

What she didn't expect was being brought into a hug. She froze as she heard his voice resonate through her entire body since her head was resting against his chest. "Stop apologizing. You're the first human to know about my secret. I keep on forgetting you aren't always in the loop." He said quietly. With a sigh, his hand squeezed her shoulder before he let go of her.

The spot where his hand touched her shoulder buzzed, and it lingered for a moment. Okita avoided her gaze, and she avoided his. Nodding, she fumbled for her bag of chips and opened it, nibbling on a chip. Suddenly feeling awkward, she offered the bag and he refused with a wave of his hand. The two went back inside, Kira sneaking in her food, and they claimed a table near the windows. By now, most of the class was let out, so the library was filled with soft chatters of students.

Okita looked at the small burns on his fingers and then hid them back inside his jacket sleeve. Maybe telling Grayson she could walk around with some silver objects would get him to ease up on the whole 'text when you leave' deal.

Grayson missed the entire day of school. After English, Grayson told her that D.A.R.A. had to give him further instructions. He had to stay home, which disappointed Kira. She at least wanted to apologize to him in person. She figured she might as well, since she already said her apology to Okita.

She later got a text from her dance instructor for school, saying she couldn't coach today's practice due to a last minute emergency. Practice on their own time was encouraged but after school practice wasn't on for today. She mentioned it to Okita nonchalantly, and he asked her:

_Wanna hang for a few hours before kendo?_

She tried her best to not make it sound like she jumped to say 'yes' and decided to meet him at their usual spot. This time, it was crowded, so it was hard to spot Okita until he was in arm's reach. The two hurried to the car to avoid the rush, and managed to get to his house in a decent amount of time.

"Just a warning, my sister is a huge slob." Okita said as they made it to his front porch. She had never seen his sister before, even back in the Edo Period. He opened the door, and a head poke up from the couch. "Hey, you finally found a friend?"

He rolled his eyes. "Good to see you too. Kira, this is Mitsu."

"Hi, nice to meet you," she smiled and Mitsu returned the same. She was well into her late twenties. She shared the same reddish-brown hair, which was tied up and her bangs framing her face. "You're home early." She stated as she turned the volume down from the TV.

"Kira's dance practice was cancelled. We have nothing else to do." He said as he kicked off his shoes, and Kira mirrored his actions. He had her follow him into the kitchen and he opened the fridge. "Want anything?"

She took out a water bottle and some snacks from her bag. "I'm good." She wandered around in the kitchen, finding a seat at the kitchen table, which was home to a few stacks of mail and a set of car keys. Okita lived in a newer house; appliances were new. Boy, her mom would die for this kitchen. It was a large, open kitchen which flowed into the living room, which had high ceilings. The foyer she walked through to get to the kitchen had rooms branching from the sides and it had an extra room filled with opened boxes and power cords scattered along the laminate floors. It seemed like they had a majority of the things unpacked, and they just needed a place to put the extra stuff. Not bad for two people in a house.

She looked on ahead to Mitsu, who was now searching through channels and wrapped in a blanket. She wondered what she was like back in Edo...she knew she had to give up Okita since she couldn't support him back then, so how come she could do that here?

And what about the others? Heisuke, Saito...everyone else? Were they also reincarnated? Or was only Okita involved? Kira mulled over the possibilities, shivering because of the draft that came from the kitchen window. "Hey, wanna go to my room?" Okita asked, taking a sip of a smoothie, probably found in the fridge. Kira furrowed her brows and it took him a while to process what he just said. He widened his eyes, scrambling to fix his answer, "No―wow, sorry, that was creepy. I meant like, it's warmer in there? Damn," he laughed under his breath, "I won't do anything, I swear."

She couldn't help but laugh. "No, you're fine. The old you wouldn't do anything like that, so why would you?" He nodded, eyes not meeting hers. He led her to his room, down the hall. He ushered her inside and left the door open. She had been with Okita alone many times when she was in Kyoto, but she had never been alone with the current one. The car didn't exactly count. Kira claimed the rolly chair and he flopped on his bed. She looked around a found a katana propped up on a shelf. _Of course. _"You were in kendo in Japan right?" She asked suddenly.

He looked up at her. "Yep."

"Did you...have any friends named Saito, Heisuke...or Sano? Or even Hijikata?" She smiled at the memory of him constantly pestering the Demon Vice Commander. Okita snorted and tried to cover it with a cough. "Nope. Those guys only exist in history books." She smiled wryly. "Too bad, I thought they could've been reincarnated. I'm surprised I saw your sister."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, she apparently gave up old-Okita when he was nine, and Kondo took him...you in." _Technically it _was_ him...but not 'him-him'._ "I never saw her when I was in Kyoto."

"Huh, maybe the fates wanted to change things up a bit." He rolled on his back, looking up at the ceiling. "Mitsu is the best. She took care of me since our parents died." Kira was silent. "We still had American citizenship, so when they died in Japan we went back to America."

"When was this?"

"Few years ago," he shrugged. "My folks worked under the same company, so they had some work they had to do in Japan. We had...some run-ins with rogue furies and D.A.R.A.; they got killed by one. I was fifteen when this happened."

Kira stared at him with a _very_ surprised look on her face. "What?! God...that's...that's horrible." Her heart lurched. "Did D.A.R.A. do something?"

He shook his head. "Not exactly...they housed us and sent us money while we were trying to cope with everything, but they stopped doing it after…" his voice faltered.

"You don't have to tell me," she said hurriedly, "you can tell me later if you want."

"No," he insisted, "I might as well tell you. I'm not a fan of keeping things secret for too long. A few days after the attack, I was walking home from school and some kid had kicked a soccer ball off the field and it rolled up to me. I picked it up and lo and behold, it was Grayson." he did an attempt at jazz hands. "So then we started to play. He was fun to hang out with, and turned out he lived just a few houses down from where I lived. I didn't know his family was affiliated with D.A.R.A. at the time. Few years later, I decided to tell him my secret." His lips formed a scowl. "And he promised he would keep it a secret. You know what happened after that?" He sat up, facing Kira. "The next day, I had D.A.R.A. agents at my front door trying to take me away from my sister! She fought back and convinced them to let me stay with her for one more night. And then we left." He smiled bitterly. "And that's it."

She stared at him, horrified. He had a messed up life! That was...that was so unfair! "That wasn't that long ago…" she murmured. It was hard to imagine how quickly his life changed after the attack, how he was nearly taken away from what was left of his family.

That's why he hated Grayson so much.

"Now you know. I was less than happy when I realized he found his way here. You can't trust him, Kira. He'll screw you over like he did me, and I don't want that to happen to anyone else." Kira slouched against the chair, saying nothing. Okita noted her silence and added, "Sorry, didn't mean to make everything so depressing."

"No, no...it's just...wow. You've been through a lot."

He reached over the gap they had in between and pinched her cheek. "Okay, just don't feel bad for me. I'm fine now." He smiled slightly. "Still don't like the guy. Just saying."

She smiled and swatted his hand away playfully. "Yeah, I can tell why...so what do you wanna do?"

* * *

**Ugh, I really hated typing this chapter. But geeze, writing in a library is easier than at home! I think it's just the atmosphere or something. I've been listening to library background noises when I'm not in one and I managed to get through this chapter in a few days! Took me a while to start it though. Thanks so much for your reviews! I hope I didn't bore you to death with this chapter :'D **

**Let me know what you think! I'll be back with another one as always. **

**-Jen**


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